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Chapter Text

Buck was at the HQ trying to cancel his transfer request with the HR department when one of the secretaries told him that Chief Simpson requested a meeting with him. Was he in trouble? Was this about leading the military on a wild goose chase using stolen government and municipal properties?

Buck frantically tries to figure out a way to absolve everyone in that incident (Tommy doesn’t deserve a suspension just because Buck begged him for help) when Chief Simpson finally spoke, slapping down a thick pile of files in front of them. 

“These are the offers I got just this week from over half the captains in the district, all fighting to have the first pick on you. I know for a fact that with your current certifications, you are overqualified to be in 118, especially without having a proper partner.”

Buck, floored by the files, could only listen as Chief Simpson continued. “And with your success training firefighter Panikkar with your high standard, even the Academy had approached with an offer for you to train future heavy rescue operators. Even the fire marshal department had made an offer after your short stint with them, where your analytical approach in enforcing safety standards puts you down as one of our best fire marshals. The point is, firefighter Buckley, you have the potential to rise high, and I hope you will take the chance to do it.”

“I don’t know what to say, Sir. Surely my record with the LAFD… I sued LAFD once!”

“Firefighter Buckley, I think we all can agree you have just cause for that lawsuit. And the fact that you turned down the settlement offer and only requested to be allowed back to work with LAFD speaks well of your dedication to the calling. And the achievements you've garnered throughout the years only show how valuable an asset you are for LAFD.”

Noticing Buck’s indecisive looks, his voice gentled. “I think Captain Nash would agree with me, we were in talks before he passed away, on the possibility of you being trained to be a captain. He was thinking about retiring in a few years and hoped that you would be his replacement.”

“Bo - Captain Nash did?” Buck blinks, not sure what to say. “Erm, can I-can I think about it? And get back to you in a few days?” 

The Chief nods. “Of course. I truly hope you give this serious consideration, firefighter Buckley. This is a good opportunity for you.”

Buck needed space and some time to think about the offers. 

And yet, coming home to Eddie packing up his things haphazardly into boxes was the last thing he expected to see.

“What are you doing?” Buck froze by the front door, staring in increasing horror as he took in the stacks of boxes waiting for him in the hallway. 

“Hey, Buck!” Eddie still struggled to wrestle one of the boxes, not noticing Buck’s furious look. “Chris and I are moving back to LA, so I’m gonna need my house back by this Friday because our stuff will be here by then.” 

“But I’m subletting,” Buck said. “Where am I supposed to go?” Buck tried to hold onto his temper. This is his house now; he has a contract and everything.

“You’ll figure it out.” Eddie waved his hand vaguely. “You can sleep on the couch if you need it.”

“So you’re evicting me? Without proper notice?!” He had a contract. A lawful, binding contract. And he read on subletting and rental law in California when he moved in, what Eddie is doing to him right now is illegal, by law. 

“Don’t be silly, Buck. This is me giving you notice; I need my house back by this weekend, so I need you to clear out your stuff by Friday.” Eddie sighed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Look, can you just not make things difficult? I really can’t afford to rent a new place right now, not with the house in El Paso and everything else, so I just need you to give me my house back. I finished packing up the living room and your bedroom, so after this, we can finish packing up the rest of the house by tomorrow.” 

There were a lot of things Buck wanted to say right to his face, but he didn’t want a repeat of Eddie tearing him down with his vicious words. He just walked around Eddie and into his bedroom, where everything, including his clothes, in the room had been packed up.  

“I can’t do this right now.” He muttered and went out of the room again. “You need to leave.”

“Leave my house?” Eddie looked at him in confusion. “What, now you’re going to throw a hissy about me moving back in? Come on, you’re the one who wanted us to come back, so here we are, coming back.”

“I’m not throwing a fit, I just need some time for myself. Just come back on Friday, I’ll be out by then.” 

“Whatever, get over yourself.” Eddie turned to storm out, but stopped and turned back to him. “Oh, and there’s a letter from the attorney for you. I’m revoking your guardianship over Chris.” Eddie said off-handedly. “No offense, but I can’t trust someone who let Bobby die to protect my son. A lawyer will be contacting you with the paperwork.” He walked past him and into his car.  

Buck felt his entire innards turn cold as if he had taken an impromptu dip into icy water.

“Shit, I forgot we’re supposed to meet up.” Buck rubbed his face tiredly as he opened the door to the little family waiting outside. He hadn't slept last night, having to repack everything.

“You ok, Buck? You look tired, man.” Connor passed Liam to him as he and Kameron entered the house. They reconnected when the Mcdonalds moved back from New York just after Halloween, and he had spent time with the Mcdonalds by babysitting Liam and feeding them with his baked goods. “Wait, I thought you finished setting up the house?” He peered into one of the boxes, confused why the colourful sofa cushions that they bought for Buck were in the box.

“Turns out I don’t live here anymore, I just got evicted,” Buck said tiredly, rubbing his cheek against Liam’s head as the toddler giggled. 

“Wait, what?” Kameron looked so confused. “Who did that to you?! The landlord? Is he not aware that under the California Eviction Laws, he can’t do that without a proper eviction letter and 30 days' notice, right?” She was very miffed as she had helped Buck review the agreements that he signed with the original tenant and later with the owner, and nowhere in the contract had it mentioned that they could evict him without just cause.

“Eddie. He needed the house back since he and Chris are moving back this weekend.” Buck let the couple steer him to the couch, still hugging Liam for emotional support. “

“What are you planning to do now?” Connor asked gently, having known Buck for the long years, he had never seen him look so defeated.

“My stuff is going into the storage unit, and I’m gonna stay at a motel or B&B while looking for a new place to stay. Got some listings I found online,” he points at a sheaf of papers chucked haphazardly on the coffee table. Connor grabbed the papers when he saw the official-looking paper. He quickly passed it to his wife, who looked even angrier as she read it. 

“ Notice on Motion to Terminate Guardianship ?! What the fuck, Buck, he’s taking away your guardianship over his son too?!” Kameron shook the paper furiously. 

Buck’s smile was twisted unhappily. “He said he can’t trust the person who let my captain die to keep his son safe.”

“He’s the one who forced you into accepting the guardianship!” Connor said furiously. “Buck, you know he’s wrong, right? You did everything you could that night; what happened wasn’t your fault. And he’s wrong, Kam and I, we would trust you to keep Liam safe and happy if anything happened to us.”

“Thanks.” Both of them turned to Kam, the one with the law associate degree, to understand the official document, muttering to herself as she read through it. “Whomever this Judge Silva is, he managed to forgo your rights to a hearing to defend your rights as Chris’s guardian. You’re only left with the final accounting of your duties as his former Guardian.”

“Did he name a new guardian for Chris?”

“He named one Adriana Diaz as the new guardian?” Kameron said absently as she continued reading. 

“That would be Eddie's youngest sister.” Buck frowned. He met her once during Shannon’s wake; she was there to support Eddie’s parents, trying to take Chris back to El Paso. He was surprised Eddie would pick her over Sophia, seeing that he spent the last few years complaining about her and her husband. He guessed things had changed while he was in El Paso. 

“Do you want to come with you? I can take an early lunch break.” Kameron offered. 

“Nah. I can go alone. But can you help me understand the legal jargon?”

Frankly by now, with everything that's has been going on, he's hoping to deal with this whole final accounting thing now and be over with the legal drama before he can stress over finding a new place to live.

(And if he was still hurt over the callous way Eddie just easily removed his guardianship over the boy he had helped co-parented for the past 7 years, he wasn't going to tell anyone about it. Who would listen anyways?)

“Right, this seems to be in order. We still need to discuss the final accounting. According to the paperwork filed with the firm, you set up a college fund for Christopher Diaz. We would need to confirm whether you would continue with the payment.”

“If I discontinue the payment, would it hurt the account?”

“Well, seeing you’re the sole contributor-”

“Wait, what?!”

Buck remembered how he first introduced Carla to the Diazes, amongst the paperwork she had to work through ( that he helped with his spreadsheet skills), Eddie had never set up a college fund for Christopher. Buck had helpfully set one up and contributed $500 into the account every month, reminding Eddie to match his contribution so Chris could have a small nest egg to cover his college education and maybe even a down payment for a house when he needed one. And when Eddie had finally told him about the guardianship, the first thing the first Buck did was to go to the bank and increase his contribution. 

“Wait, you’re telling me Eddie never contributed even a dime to the account?!” Buck never felt so furious. He knew Eddie could be careless with his financial responsibilities (i.e., buying a truck with the illegal fight club money), but he didn’t know it was this bad!

And yet a part of him still remembers how Eddie forcefully reminded him that Chris is never his child, not his responsibility. 

Buck took a deep breath. “I would like to discontinue my contribution. However I would like to request, as my last act as Christopher’s guardian, to set up a compound interest of 4% on the account and to make sure that no one can access that account other than Chris in which he can only use it for his education and his expenses, which includes his medical expenses.”

Let’s hope this can help stop anyone from accessing the account.

He spent a few days sleeping in a motel, his stuff in a storage unit as he searched for a new place to live. Thanks to Connor and Kameron, who listened sympathetically to his problems, they offered their spare bedroom ( the least we could do, after you did for us, man ) and a chance for him to connect with little Liam. 

It was with them that Buck finally made his decision to go through with his transfer; both Connor and Kameron even helped pick which ones he should go for: Station 88 as part of the west bureau US&R team. (If it was close to Van Nuys Airport where 217 are stationed, no one commented on it.)

Ravi, after finding out about his impending transfer, even helped him find a place with his connections, a cosy three-bedroom in Archwood Street, not far from his new station and the McDonald's. 

Unfortunately due to issues that Buck couldn't predict, on his last shift with the 118, Hen was on emergency leave because the kids had food poisoning, and Chim was at the HQ doing last-minute paperwork over his new position as interim captain, meaning they missed out on Gerrard's announcements on Buck's transfer. 

“So how are you going to tell them you’re leaving?” Ravi asked curiously as he watched Buck empty his locker after the shift. 

“I’m taking Chim, Maddie and Hen out for dinner later tonight to tell them.” He thought he might as well ripped the bandage in one go by telling all three of them on the same time. 

“Not Eddie?”

“I’m not ready to talk with him yet.” Buck shrugged.

“Want me to come for moral support?” Ravi offered.

“You do that for me?”

“Eh, there’s free food so…” Ravi grinned playfully.

Buck shook his head ruefully. “Never change Panikkar.”

Well, this was a disaster, Buck thought glumly.

Buck tried to organize a dinner at a restaurant, hoping the neutral location would tone down the loud protests and accusations, but Hen had invited Eddie, thinking it was a surprise party to welcome him back to the 118. 

“I can’t believe you. Is this to punish me? You just can’t be happy that I’m coming back, that you needed to transfer to another station?! You’re being selfish, that’s what you are! Everything just had to be about yourself. Get over yourself, Buckley.” He spat.

It wasn't harsh words Eddie spewed at him (he's used to that), but the fact that both Hen and Chim did nothing to defend him and along with Maddie just stared with such disappointed looks as Eddie railed on him was the last straw. 

What happened to being family? Guess that meant nothing when it comes to him.  He thought bitterly.

Buck stood silently, staring at them with cold eyes before walking away, Ravi following him after throwing them a disgusted look.

That night, his phone was blowing up with miscalled calls and angry text messages, duly ignored by Buck, McDonalds, and Ravi as they celebrated his upcoming shift with Station 88 on Wednesday. 

He was done pandering to their moods.

It was time he put himself first. 

Chapter Text

Eddie Diaz was furious.

 First, he found out he won’t be able to come back to 118 immediately. Apparently there was some bullshit about him needing to recertify since he was away from LAFD for a few months and how his placement with the 118 was not even guaranteed, as priority would be given to the senior firefighters first.

He was a senior firefighter! And with experience working with 118, he should be the one there, taking over Buck’s old spot, not some random SAR officer from Michigan! 

Now he was stuck working with 133 while Chim tried to figure out a way to get him back to 118, where Lena gave him cold shoulders and terse conversations as if they weren’t friends before. 

And then there's this nonsense with his landlord for illegally evicting Buck! It was his house; he has the right to ask for it back, especially since Buck did it to help them in the first place! 

But Mr. Mendez claimed that the only reason he doesn’t sue Eddie’s ass for the infraction is that Buck told him not to. He did mention that he would not be renewing the agreement with Eddie when the lease is up next year and that he should be looking for a new place soon. 

The fucker.

This is all Buck's fault, the traitor! He shouldn’t have complained to Mr. Mendez about needing to find a new place or how he should have at least waited for Eddie to come and take his place with the 118 if he was going to leave anyways. 

Well, now he’s not going to talk to Buck until he apologizes for all this mess he made for everyone and comes back to 118 (not that he would have a spot when Eddie has first priority). 

At least there weren’t many problems with the paperwork moving back to LA. Carla unfortunately had retired and moved to Santa Clarita, so he couldn’t have asked her for help, but thankfully he had her old paperwork and managed to reinstate Chris’s old medical and physical therapy appointments as well as manage to find a place for Chris to start his high school. 

Hopefully he didn’t forget anything. 

“Buckley.” Buck, in the middle of doing a rope check with Alex, looked up from his clipboard to see Captain Hunt coming toward him with two unknown firefighters following him. “This is Sophia Marks and Theo Matthews. They just graduated from this year's batch and will be our new probies. Marks, Matthews, this is Lieutenant Evan Buckley. He joined Station 88 last year from 118 and is one of our best high rope and heavy rescue specialists. He will be one of the firefighters that will be training you throughout your probationary year.” 

“Hi.” Buck shook their hands. “I look forward to training you guys. In fact,” he nodded at the pile of ropes, “how about your first lesson on high rope rescue: the importance of maintaining your ropes?”

Within minutes, he got the two new firefighters tangled up in old ropes, barking questions as they desperately tried to untangle themselves without destroying the ropes, his captain nodding approvingly, already used to the lieutenant's intense concentration when it comes to firefighting.

Alex, who was watching on the sidelines with the ropes they deemed in excellent condition, ended up helping the poor probies by helpfully telling them the answers, Buck shaking his head disapprovingly at him when his phone chimed. 

Connor: Your kids want Peruvian for dinner. 😈

Buck laughed loudly, much to the probie’s unfounded horror.

“I’m home! Hey, kiddo.” Buck called out much, much later as he entered the Mcdonald's place, Liam running up to him, holding a book, followed by a laughing Connor. He passed him the shopping bag full of food while he carried the young boy, listening attentively as the boy babbled about his day as they made their way to the dining table. 

“So, what did you make, man?” Connor poked at the bag.

“I made Rocoto Relleno and Aji de Gallina. I'm pretty sure the probies were giving me heart eyes when I gave them the leftovers. The least I could do after I terrorized them all day long.” Buck laughed as he unpacked the Tupperware. Both he and Connor pretended not to see Kam pouring mayonnaise and pickles all over her food.

Between the new station, part-time work with the fire marshal department, volunteering at the church Bobby used to go to, and studying for an associate degree in night school, Buck barely has time for dating (or space in his heart for another heartbreak). Yet he wanted something more permanent in his life, someone who he could give all of his unconditional love to without getting hurt back.

It was then Kameron gave him the most precious of gifts. She offered to surrogate for him, an offer she once made to him when he helped them with Liam years ago. 

After spending a long time thinking, he accepted the offer. Connor and he even went to Vegas, where they managed to earn twice the funds needed for the IVF treatment AND starting a college fund for the baby. (Buck also insisted that some of the funds be added to Liam’s college fund; the three of them argued loudly and long over it till the McDonalds gave up. Buck was too stubborn to be out-argued by the both of them.)

To find out they were expecting twins was exciting news; Buck and Connor fainted simultaneously when they saw the ultrasound (an incident Kameron swore to hang over their head forever), Ravi was already begging to be one of the babies godparents, and Liam was excited at the idea of having baby siblings to play with. 

Later, after dinner, Liam was napping on his lap as he edited his essay for one of his modules, while Kameron was working through another deposition and Connor was replying to his work emails. Buck decided to tell the McDonalds his news.

“So the wildfire season is going to start soon.” Buck shared as he put away his books. “I’m thinking about volunteering; the extra money would be good for the babies.”

“Won’t it be dangerous?” Kam asked worriedly as she rubbed her swollen stomach, Connor looking on in concern.

“Ravi is applying as well; both of us are going to keep an eye on each other. Plus my captain thinks it's a good idea for me to gain experience if I’m aiming to be captain in ten years.” 

“If you think it’s a good idea,” Connor said slowly, “and take all the precautions, I say go for it, man. Just check in with us whenever you can, or Kam will be worried sick.” He coughed when Kameron dug her elbow into his ribs. 

“You mean you’re the one going to worried sick, right?” She said sweetly, as Buck laughed.

Buck was surprised when he arrived in San Bernardino’s wildfire command center with the team of volunteers from LA (where, surprisingly, no one from 118 had volunteered that year) to see that he was tapped to help out at the command center as the incident commander coordinator, helping coordinate the firefighting and rescue efforts, even giving him his own clipboard and assistants that Ravi had made fun of. 

(Buck suspects this is some weird test for him, though he’s not sure for what.)

At least he gets to see action from time to time, rotating out to help with a few rescue efforts, pulling out campers and hikers trapped in the wildfire.

It was after one such rescue that Buck, taking a breather before heading to the command center to help update the red zone, had someone step into the shade he was under, offering a much-needed bottle of cold water and a voice he hadn't heard (and dreamt about) for a while.

“Looks like you needed this.” Tommy Kinard, in his sooty flight suit, stood in front of him. “Long time no see.”

“Tommy!” Buck said breathlessly. “H-Hi!”

“Evan, hey. You’re volunteering for the wildfire too?” Tommy eyed his wild curls, resisting the urge to rub his thumb against the speck of soot covering his birthmark.

“For two weeks now. You too?” 

“High demand for pilots that can navigate through wildfires so I'm always up for rotations for years now. Who else is here from 118?” 

“Oh, I’m not with the 118 anymore.” Buck rubbed his neck awkwardly. “I’m with Station 88 now, part of the SAR unit.”

“Station 88. That’s not far from the harbor.” Tommy smiled, pleased. “So what are you doing this Saturday?” Tommy asked playfully.

“Same as you, apparently, fighting fire in this hellhole.” Buck said dryly before both of them burst into loud laughter. 

Ravi kept playing interference during their rare downtime (Buck might have cheated a bit by making sure his breaks aligned with Tommy’s), letting them spend time together resting in the same cot or sharing their meal together, hiding away in nooks and crannies, talking about everything and nothing at all, just enjoying the moment while they could during the hellish time.

It was nice talking to Tommy again. 

And when they came back to LA, they chose the same cafe as their second first date and laid down everything on the metaphorical table, from their insecurities (Buck asking forgiveness for saying the wrong thing and hurting his heart when Tommy wanted to try again, Tommy for accusing Eddie of being his competition and for thinking his relationship with Buck wasn’t going to last) to difficult topics (families for both of them) and their shared fear for their relationship of not being enough for the other and being left behind again. 

They agreed that honest communication was needed for both of them if they wanted to try again: Tommy needed to not default to his sarcasm and his insecurities, and Buck needed to think his words properly before blurting them out and hurting other people and himself with them. 

When Tommy heard about the babies, he was surprised but was supportive, even coming around to help Buck convert one of the guest rooms into a nursery, from painting it in shades of green to finding Buck a beautiful crib to match the one that Athena had bought. 

(Buck saw the beautifully wooden-carved, sky-themed baby mobiles Tommy snuck in the nursery and, much to his hilarity, included mini helicopters and planes.)

And yes, he has been keeping in touch with the Grant-Nash family after he left 118. He even tried to keep in touch with everyone, but it seems that, like the others that left 118, he seems to not exist to the so-called ‘firefam,’ the Wilsons turning down his numerous offers to hang out and Chris never returning his calls or emails ever since his fallout with Eddie.

Of course, what hurt the most was Maddie preferring her ‘found’ family with Chim, her children, and the Wilsons over him, hardly hanging out anymore for their sibling time, and only calling about updates on her family and barely listening to his news.

“Oh, Buck.” Maddie sounds regretful over the phone. “I would love to see you, but Howie and I are leaving for Hershey tomorrow with the kids; it's time they see where we grew up. Hey,” her voice warm, “how about you join us? Mom and Dad would be happy to see you too!”

Buck shuddered. Ever since Maddie's wedding, all he got from his parents were sporadic phone calls, even when they were in LA to see their granddaughter. 

“It's ok, Maddie. We can just reschedule.” He said softly, listening as Maddie gushed about baby Bobby and Jee before hanging up.

Well, that's another lost chance to tell Maddie about her future niblings. 

So yea, in a way, he was very thankful Athena and her children didn’t drop him like the rest. When he told her about his decision to transfer to Station 88, she told him that Bobby would be proud Buck took the step to secure his future and she would support his decisions. 

She was excited to hear about the babies and had taken the concept of being their honorary grandmother to the next level, from buying so many things for their nurseries to planning to spend time with them when they arrived. 

(May whispered to him that she was thankful he was going to be the first to give her mother grandchildren; at least it took some pressure off from her for a while.)

With Tommy came the Delucas, Sal dramatically proclaiming how Buck should have been his firefighter instead of joining the West Bureau Search and Rescue unit, Gina crackling as their girls hounded Buck for desserts. (Sal blamed Tommy for their sweet tooth). 

Still, he was still hesitant to take the next step with Tommy, worried he might wake up one day and think Buck and the twins would be too much for him and run away again, breaking their hearts in the process. 

Ravi helpfully pointed out that instead of fretting over it (Buck threw a crumpled burger wrap at him for that), he might as well talk to Tommy about it and see if their ideas of the future aligned with each other.

Buck took that advice by talking to Tommy at a cafe after a class on newborn care (isn’t that a doozy, Tommy asking to join the slew of parenting classes Buck had joined the moment he knew about the twins?). 

“So,” Buck fidgets with the free sugar sachets till Tommy grabs hold of his hands, “we need to clarify something if we are seriously doing this. Tommy I need to know you’re ok with this whole me being a parent to twins. I don’t want you to one day realize all this,” he gestured vaguely at himself, “is too much and you're just going to leave again. I can’t have that, especially when the twins are here. They deserve a better childhood than both of us ever had, and I don’t want them to feel abandoned.”

“I…” Tommy rubbed his thumb across Buck’s shaking knuckles. “Seeing you getting ready for the babies, I couldn’t help but see a future we can have with each other, raising the twins in the beautiful nursery we prepared together, hearing them calling us their dads. I want that so much, Evan, and I want it with you, a family where we can be happy together. If you let me, I would like to be a part of your future."

Evan exhaled, the tension in his body dissipating after Tommy’s confession. “I want that too.” Buck said shyly.

They were having breakfast with the Mcdonalds when baby names came up. 

(Kam and Connor had issued their own versions of shovel talk to Tommy when Buck brought him around the first time and then told Buck that they both agreed that A. Tommy is definitely the one for him and B. He was right; the cleft chin was definitely hot.)

“How about Benjamin?” Kam stared at her phone. “You can shorten it to Ben or Benny.” 

“Put it in the maybe list.” Buck scribbled on a clipboard. “How about Sloane?”

“Remember Slo? From our roommate days?” Connor reminded him. “The one who kept eating everything in the communal fridge, including expired food, and kept clogging the downstairs toilet? Plus, Sloane Buckley does not work at all.”

“Hard pass.” Buck scratched out the name, still shuddering over the nightmare of an ex-roommate. “Ermm, Atticus?” He asked jokingly.

“NO!” The other three said in unison. “Tommy, got any good names?” Connor asked the older man.

“I like Oliver or Olivia.” Tommy shared. 

Buck mutters the name to himself. “Hmm, I like that.” He writes it down in the maybe list. “Cordelia?”

“The hot chick from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” Connor scratched his head. 

“Er, no, I just like the meaning of the name.” Buck said shyly, “It means daughter of the sea.”

“Oh, I like that!” Kam rubbed her stomach. “And it’s very pretty. And if we are going by meaning, the name Felicity is pretty too; it means good fortune and happiness.”

Tommy took a peek at the clipboard while Evan scribbled the names down. On the very top of the shortlisted names, scribble the names Daniel and Wade. Buck told him he wanted to use a variation of those two names for the twin’s middle name to honor the two people he couldn’t save.

(Tommy and the Mcdonalds kept telling him that their deaths were never Evan’s fault, but they guessed there was some trauma that would never truly be healed for him.)

“Are we naming my siblings?” Liam came up to them after running around the flower beds and herb garden in Buck’s backyard, looking at them in interest. 

“Do you have a suggestion, baby?” Kam smiled as Liam hugged her stomach. 

“Em! Leo and Alice! Like in my books!” 

“Leo Buckley. Leona Buckley. Alice Buckley. Ellis Buckley.” Buck said out loud, liking the sound of the names rolling through his tongue.

Leo Kinard. Leona Kinard. Alice Kinard. Ellis Kinard . Tommy thought hopefully but was too shy to say it out loud just yet. Though judging from the Mcdonalds smirks, they knew what he was thinking about. 

That or he had that stupid, sappy look that Sal always made fun of on his face again.

Tommy was being an absolute menace that day. 

Just before his 48 started, Evan texted him, ‘D DAY!!’ And as much as he wanted to be outside the delivery room with Evan and Connor to wait for the babies, he couldn’t justify calling out on his shift at the very last minute. 

Hence being a menace right now.

“Stop that!” Lucy threw a dirty rag at his face. He had been badgering everyone all morning over routine inspections, terrorizing everyone with his clipboard. 

This has got to be Buckley’s fault.

(The entirety of 217 had cheered the moment Tommy came in for work with the biggest adorable smile they had ever seen on him and a basket full of baked goods, having suffered from months of mopey, depressed Tommy haunting the station.)

“That’s enough!” Tommy squawked as his aeromedic, Miriam, wrestled the clipboard from his hands as Melton and Zach grabbed his shoulders and manhandled him onto the nearest surface (one of the desks) and sat him on it. 

“Now, spill! What’s getting you all wound up today? It can’t be Buckley breaking up with you again, or you would look like a sad puppy left in the rainstorm again.” 

“It’s noth-”

“It’s not nothing. It has to be something big for you to be acting like this.” Melton said, at one point Captain Pruitt had joined the crowd but just watched as her crew interrogated Tommy over whatever had gotten him agitated all day. 

“Fine.” Tommy huffed. “It’s Evan. He texted me earlier about how it’s D-Day for the babies, and I’m waiting for updates on it.”

“WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO?!” Tommy was ushered out of the station with his duffle bag within minutes, Captain Pruitt already on the phone getting another pilot to come in and cover Tommy’s shift. “Call us when the babies are here!” Lucy cheered.

Apparently it was a smooth delivery for Kameron since Evan texted him to head straight to the nursery when he arrived at First Presbyterian. There he found Evan staring at two of the cribs by the window with such loving looks that left Tommy breathless by it. 

“Hey.” Tommy gently wrapped his arm around his waist. “How are you feeling?”

“Overwhelmingly happy right now.” Buck whispered back, tapping their cheeks together.

“Mr. Buckley?” Both of them stepped away from the glass to see one of the nurses beckoning for them. “Are you ready to hold your children for the first time?”

The twins both look exactly like Evan, Tommy thought as he marveled at the newborns, from their beautiful blond curls to their delicate bone structure. The only thing that differentiated them from one another was the same birthmarks as their biological father that were located in different locations. 

Watching as Evan gently cradled the baby on the left, her heart-shaped birthmark at the left bottom corner of her lips, his eyes sparkling with such love and affection for the little girl in his arm, his thumb gently tracing her cheekbone. “Tommy, may I introduce you to the most precious girl in the whole wide world, Miss Leona Danielle Buckley?”

“Why hello, Miss Leona.” Tommy cooed, then gasped as Evan asked, “Would you like to hold her?”

“Evan, are you sure?” Oh, how Tommy wanted to hold her but at the same time was terrified at how much trust Evan was putting on him. 

His smile was as brilliant as the bright sun outside. “I trust you with my heart, Tommy. Of course I would trust you with my daughter.”

Tommy couldn’t help the little gasp as Evan then gently deposited her into his arms, his left hand automatically cradling the back of her delicate head before picking up the second baby, his birthmark located on the same spot as his father but on the right side. “Hello, my darling. Your name is Ellis, my sweet Ellis Wade Buckley.” He whispered softly and gently ran his finger across his adorable nose. 

One of the nurses stationed at the nursery offered to take a photo of them holding the babies, cooing about how lovely the fathers look holding the newborns, and oh, how Tommy’s heart yearns to really be their father and Evan’s husband one day.

Chapter Text

Chim couldn’t help but sigh tiredly as he watched Jee run around the huge backyard, chased by her grandfather. At the Buckleys, Maddie was with Margaret cooing over little baby Bobby on the patio.

As much as he was grateful for the vacation and getting the chance to see where Maddie grew up, he was still stressed with what was still going on at work.

He knew it wasn’t easy, stepping into Bobby’s shoes to lead the 118, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Bobby would be unhappy to see what was going on with what’s left of the station.

Buck went behind their back and left the station was a slap on the face both literally and metaphorically, especially when he realized how much the entire station had relied on him throughout the years, from him helping with the probationary officers training for all three shifts (one that Eddie had fumbled with their most recent probie to the point he requested for a transfer), the organizational work with Bobby’s, Shift B’s Captain Mendez and Shift C’s Captain Grey’s paperwork (those spreadsheets were a godsend for the overworked captains) to trying to get Eddie to be reinstated back with the 118 (an act he bitterly regret as he had chased off several of Buck’s replacements with his high-handedness and lack of respect the moment he came back to the 118).

Ravi’s recent decision to apply for a transfer out of 118 (he told him coldly if he tried to block his transfer, he would not hesitate to go to the higher-ups) after several professional clashes with Eddie was the final straw. 

Just before the vacation, Battalion Chief Barnes had coolly informed him via a very cold phone call that due to the current situation, 118 will be downgraded from a technical rescue station to a regular fire station where they will only handle normal calls instead of the more specialized rescue calls that they had attended for the last eight years, meaning they would see significant cuts to their pay and end-of-year bonus.

Now he had figured out a way to announce this to the entire station about the downgrade of station status. 

A bitter part of him wished Buck was the one who stayed instead of Eddie; this wouldn’t have happened if he was still there. But attempting to put out feelers to see if it was possible to transfer Buck back under his command was stonewalled from all directions, saying that Lieutenant (?!) Buckley was where he was supposed to be. 

(And it wasn’t a shocker that Buck was now a search and rescue lieutenant with a very impressive resume of certifications and qualifications that he had collected throughout the years.)

Hen was trying her best to support his captaincy, and he felt guilty for Karen, having had to shoulder most of the parenting decisions for both Denny and Mara, but honestly, he felt like drowning.

He wished he didn’t take the position, his survivor guilt be damned.

Now he was trying to salvage a capsizing ship with no safe harbor in sight.

Damn, now he’s maudlin again. Better not let Maddie see, or she would be worried sick again.

Hen watched as Karen stormed off after another hushed argument about Hen’s lack of presence in their family. They had worked hard to keep the arguments from Mara, but she was sure Denny noticed the weird tension between his two mothers. 

She understands, in a way, why Karen was mad, as Hen barely spent time with them ever since Chim took over as the new captain. But he needed her support, especially after Buck left without notice, and between adjusting to a new paramedic partner for herself and trying to get Eddie back in his place with them, most of the parental responsibility fell solely on Karen. 

She missed Buck. 

She missed how his loud chattering filled the station, the way he worked in the kitchen with Bobby preparing them warm meals to enjoy, and how he helped out with inventory and paperwork for the ambulance, making sure it was always stocked and ready. 

But now, what was once like a home away from home felt cold and hostile, especially with how Eddie managed to alienate everyone that came through the station with his callousness and disrespect for fellow firefighters.

She wished there was a way to fix whatever went wrong between them and Buck, but she was too embarrassed at first, and by then it was too late. Between their no longer unsynchronized schedule (as an SAR lieutenant, Buck was operating in a different shift than the Kelly shift they were used to) and her spare time spent between her own family and the Hans, she could never find the time to meet up with him. 

Too many things had happened between them for things to go back to normal now.

All of them gathered in Kameron’s recovery room at the hospital; Athena smiled as she cooed at the babies, May carefully holding little Ellis in her arms. 

She was proud to be part of Buck’s newfound family: the McDonalds with their hyperactive boy, the Delucas and their rambunctious girls, Ravi, who would keep sneaking interested looks at May, and of course, Tommy, who brought back Buck’s beautiful sunshine-bright smile. 

A part of her wished Bobby could see how much Buck flourished into the man he is today, but she knew wherever her husband is, he would be proud of his son of heart. 

“May, I wanted to ask,” Buck started shyly as he watched May with his beautiful son, “if you would mind sharing godparent duties with Ravi for baby Ellis as his godmother?”

May stared at him with big eyes. “Me? Oh, Buck, are you sure?”

“Of course I do. I’m sure, between you and Ravi, my adorable son would grow up to be a great person like both of you are today.” Gently passing the babe to Ravi, May threw herself at Buck, squealing in delight, thanking him again and again. 

“Who did Buck choose to be Leona’s godparents?” Athena asked curiously as May took Ellis back from the complaining Ravi.

“Connor and Kam agreed to be Leona’s godparents when Evan asked them.” Tommy told Athena. “They’re quite chuffed at the offer.”

“Of course I do!” Connor crowed loudly as Kam grinned while holding Leona, “She’s going to be the most spoiled goddaughter ever.” 

“No spoiling!” Athena watched fondly as Connor and Buck argued playfully before turning back to Tommy again. “Chim and Maddie still don't know yet?” 

“Evan tried telling them again and again, but Maddie kept turning down his offers to meet. You know how this isn’t exactly news that can be told over a phone call.” Tommy explains. “He even tried inviting them for the birth, but apparently they are on a trip now to Hershey again, visiting their parents.” 

Athena shook her head. She didn't realize how the 118 had slowly isolated Buck after Bobby's death, and how she wished she had noticed it before it was too late, but now seeing how they kept rejecting his efforts to keep in touch with them, she's glad they are no longer there to weigh him down with their attempt to police his feelings.

And yes, she knew what they did to him, denying his grief as if his feelings didn't matter, degrading his attempts to take care of them as part of Bobby's final wish (yes, she knew about that because she was the only person Buck told about her final husband's final words to him), and calling him selfish for putting him and his mental health first. 

Even Hen, whom she thought was a sensible person all the time, had behaved as if Buck was a nuisance for trying to support their grief. Thank God for his support group; she still shudders at the possibility of him spiraling into something irreversible over their neglect. 

No matter. 

Only now matters. 

He has a family now that will love and support him, and she was proud to be part of that family.

Tommy was a godsend.

Buck doesn't know how he survived the first week with the twins. The constant crying, diaper changing, feeding, and the persistent inner voice of inadequacy were drowning him. 

But Tommy was there, quietly moved in during the first night the twins had came home, supporting him with everything, from making sure the twins' needs were taken care of to quieting the demon in his head by words of affirmation for Buck that he was doing everything properly with the twins.

Everyone else helped too. 

Kam comes in every day to spend time with the twins by nursing them and making both of them take much-needed breaks, and the Delucas fill the fridge with enough food to feed the army, and even Athena sleeps over a few times so she can help with the twins nighttime activities, citing how she was lonely in her big house and wanted to spend time with her grandchildren. 

(May would send them gift baskets every time her mom slept over, thanking Buck for giving her mom a reason to smile again. And for the twins, because she’s so not ready to give her grandchildren just yet.)

Buck smiled, staring besotted at the beautiful picture in front of him. Tommy had fallen asleep on the rocking chair, holding Ellis in his arms. Quietly walking past them in hope of not waking them from their sleep, he went to the crib and peered in, smiling as he saw Leona was awake, drooling on the stuffed bunny Athena had gotten for her.

“Why are you still awake, Nana?” Buck cooed as he lifted her into his arms. “It’s already late for my little bun.”

Nana burbled as she grabbed for her father’s playful fingers over her face, gumming on his pointer finger. 

He felt as if his heart was going to burst from all the happiness he was currently experiencing. This is all that he wanted for himself: a family he could call his own. 

Swaying gently as he lulled his little princess asleep, he wondered if this is heaven. 

After she fell asleep in his arms, he gently placed her in the twin bassinet Ravi had bought for the twins in his bedroom before returning back to the nursery for Lee, settling him beside his sister. He gently traced his finger against their beautiful features before turning back one last time to the nursery for Tommy. 

“Tommy, sweetheart, wake up. You're going to get a backache if you sleep here.” 

“Van? Lee?” Tommy asked groggily. 

“He’s asleep in his basket with Nana.” Buck said softly as he chided him into bed. Tommy smiled sleepily at him before snoring again, Buck grinning fondly. He checked on the twins one more time before settling in bed, knowing quite well he would be awake in a few hours to take care of the babies.

Tommy and Buck giggled as they found Ravi passed out on the sofa, the babies tucked under his chin, fast asleep.

“Aww,” Buck cooed at them. “My poor babies, all tuckered out after chaperoning their godparents.” Hours earlier, Buck and Tommy had found themselves wandering aimlessly around downtown LA when Ravi and May had swooped in to kidnap his twins, giving excuses like 'Buck, you need time for yourself, you look so pale', 'Tommy, go woo your man before the kids can crawl' and his favorite, 'we want to spend time with our adorable angels, you guys are hogging them!'. They ended up visiting their favorite cafe before going for a long walk around the park, just talking and enjoying each other's company.

May lazily threw the ball of baby socks she was playing with at his head. “Haha, very funny. Ravi just had too much fun at the baby rave. Thank god we managed to get all the paint out of their curls.”

Buck froze. “Wait, what? You guys took my twins where?!”

May broke down into giggles.

Chapter Text

Maddie Buckley-Han has a good life. 

After everything had happened in her life (Doug, her PPD, Amber), she now has two wonderful children with the most wonderful man in a wonderful life.

So why does it feel like something is missing?

She smiled as she set down the bowl of salad on the dining table, Karen thanking her. They were having dinner with the Wilsons as usual, and she had noticed the undercurrent of tension between Hen and Karen but was sure they would tell her and Chim when they were ready to talk. 

“Have you talked to Buck recently?” Hen asked out of nowhere. 

Maddie frowned. Ever since Buck transferred to station 88, they barely had time to meet up for some sibling time; their conflicting shifts and her children making sporadic phone calls were the easiest way to communicate with her brother. 

“I called him a week ago and updated him on Jee and Bobby.” She answered. “He asked if we could have lunch together or come over for dinner, but we have had conflicting shifts for the past few months, so I had to turn him down.”

“Did he tell you about how he’s an SAR lieutenant now?” Chim suddenly asked.

“Really? Wow, good for him!” Karen was pleasantly surprised, but she had known him for a long while now, and she knew he had it in him to rise.

“Buck is a lieutenant?” Hen asked with a weird look on her face.

“I think he mentioned something about a promotion.” Maddie said with a flushed face, remembering how she brushed him off when Buck was talking about his new station by gushing about Baby Bobby’s first steps. “Good for him; he’s finally maturing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Karen looked unhappy. 

“Nothing,” Maddie said with a shrug. “You know how he is with responsibility.”

“Honey,” Chim turned to her in surprise. “Buck thrives with responsibility. Sure, we joked about his clipboard obsession, but without him, 118 wouldn’t have run as smoothly as it did when Bobby was still alive.”

Hen nodded. “He streamlined our application processes for equipment acquisition and current stocks, filing for incident reports, and even keeping 118 up with the current regulations. I didn’t even realize how much work he helped Bobby with until I helped Chim with his paperwork.”

“Not to mention he was the one to help train the probies in all three shifts for the last few years.” Chim pointed out.

“I didn’t know he did all that.” Maddie frowned; Buck had never told her about it.

What else has Buck forgotten to tell her?

“Evan, you know you are going to need to let them go, sweetheart.” Tommy tried to coax him away from the twins, smiling sheepishly at the daycare worker who was waiting by the door. “You’re going to be late for your first day back at work.”

“But—but I’m not ready to let them go yet.” Tommy can feel his confidence wavering over Evan’s tearstained blue eyes. “Darling, you really have to.” He gently pried the twins away from him, and after kissing their chubby cheeks, passed them to the worker and dragged Evan out the door. 

Tommy couldn’t help the twitch on his lips as he watched the younger man look mournfully out the window as they pulled away from the daycare. The 24-hour daycare caters to first responders around the Van Nuys area, including both Station 88 and 217 as well as the nearby Sherman Oaks Hospital and the Encino Hospital, and is staffed by dedicated childcare workers that are made up of family members of first responders (hence understanding quite well the first responder schedules and the urgent need of good childcare.)

“You’re on a half shift for the week; you’ll see them again in 12 hours, and Grace,” Tommy mentioned the daycare owner, who happened to be Captain Hunt’s younger sister, “promised to text us hourly updates on the twins.”

Evan sighed deeply and mournfully again as Tommy pulled up to 217. Since he was working a 24-hour shift while Evan was on a 12-hour shift and the truck was better suited for the twin’s car seats, it made more sense for Evan to have the truck. 

He parked the car, and both of them got out of the car, Evan moving to the driver’s seat while Tommy headed in for work, and yet before Evan could slip in, Tommy cornered him by the door and kissed him so thoroughly that people coming in for the shift wolf-whistled loudly at them. 

Tommy pulled back with a huge grin on his face; Evan’s dazed look meant he had successfully distracted the younger man from his parental woes. “See you later, Evan.” He kissed another kiss, this time brief, before darting away, leaving the speechless firefighter behind as his teammates heckled him as he ducked into the locker room.

The scare that burst Buck’s bubble of happiness happened not with the twins but with Tommy. 

A month after his PTO, and now adjusting as well as he can with 24-hour shifts (he was thankful Grace didn’t go insane or worse, expel the twins from the daycare with his constant check-ins), he was in the middle of yet another 24-hour shift, counting the minutes until he could leave to pick up his twins from the daycare when he got the call. 

It was from Melton of all people, telling him he needs to go to Mission Community Hospital immediately because Tommy is in the hospital. 

Noticing Buck's panicked demeanor, Captain Hunt immediately told him to go, asking one of the probies to drive him there, as he doesn’t trust Buck would be stable enough to drive. 

After a very stressful drive (for both Buck, who was thinking of the worst-case scenarios for Tommy, and Matthews, who was going to cry from all the growls and snaps from his training officer telling him to drive faster), Buck rushed to the waiting room in front of the operating theaters, where he met up with the rest of the flight crew that made up Tommy's Alpha shift. “What happened?! How is he?!” He asked in panic. 

“Buck. He's fine. Just a fractured left leg and an injured arm. But Donato got most of the injuries; she pushed Tommy and Miriam out of the way and is now in surgery.” Melton rubbed his face tiredly.

According to Melton (as Captain Pruitt was currently down at the police station trying to figure out how the hell this happened in the first place), it was supposed to be just another normal medevac; 217 was called in for an assist, to airlift a patient in critical condition from an active crime scene that was already secured by both LAPD and SWAT. 

What they didn’t realize was that the main perpetrator had escaped from initial arrest and was looking to silence the main witness to his sordid crimes, aka the patient they were trying to airlift, using a car he had stolen and had rammed through the barricade, hitting one of the police officers manning it before hurling down toward the helicopter.

It was thanks to Lucy, who saw the car from the corner of her eye, leapt into action, pushing both Miriam and the gurney the patient was on away before shoving Tommy aside, but ended up taking the brunt of the impact as the car rammed into the side of the helicopter.

Tommy, meanwhile, was lucky; if it wasn’t for Lucy, he would have suffered the same major injuries as his fellow co-pilot. As it is, he had suffered a minor fracture to his left leg from the glancing blow of the car as well as a broken and dislocated right arm as he landed awkwardly on the ground. 

Miriam had escaped mostly unharmed, suffering only scrapes and bruises as she used her body to cover the patient, had stubbornly checked herself out of her hospital bed, and waited with the rest of them outside the operating room where Lucy and the lone police officer injured in the same accident were operated on. 

“Buck?” They turned to see Dr. Hernandez, a trauma surgeon and father to little Mateo in the twins' daycare. “Tommy's fine, but I need to discuss his prognosis with you as his emergency contact.”

Buck nodded and quickly followed him, only stopping to remind Melton to text him if there’s any update on Lucy.

He felt like crying when he saw Tommy on the hospital bed, his left leg slightly elevated in a medical boot and his arm in a cast. “Thankfully it’s the only arm that needed surgery; he had managed to both break and dislocate it at the same time.” Dr. Hernandez explained. “We had to have surgery to realign them and set them in place with screws, which are going to stay in for the next 5-6 weeks, but to regain full function is going to require extensive physical therapy to restore strength and range of motion. Right now we are looking at 5-6 months of recovery time for both injuries.”

Buck winced but nodded. After a few more discussions on Tommy’s prognosis, Dr. Hernandez left the room, leaving him alone while Tommy was sleeping off the anesthesia from the minor surgery. 

It was hours later when he looked up from his phone when he heard Tommy stirring and winced at how stiff he was; he hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting there alone while waiting for Tommy to wake up.

Tommy blinks at him sleepily, as if he wasn’t sure who he was looking at. “Van?” He muttered softly. “Wha—”

“You’re in the hospital; you had some minor surgery on your arm.” Buck moved closer, gently threading his hand through Tommy’s hair. 

“Lucy? The—the twins?” Tommy asked, voice hoarse. He smiled as Buck gently helped him up to take a sip from the cup of water waiting by the bed. 

“She is still in surgery; Melton promised to keep me updated. Athena picks up the twins; they are going to have a sleepover with her and May while I stay here to take care of you.”

“Don’t have to; Nana and Lee come first.” 

Buck sighed; he thought he had made it clear to Tommy where he is when it comes to his priorities. “I love you, and I almost lost you today if it wasn’t for Lucy. Let me take care of you, okay?”

“Kay.” Tommy slipped back into a more natural sleep, curling around Buck’s hand still cupping his cheek. Buck settled back and put out his phone again, texting Sal about Tommy.

Lucy finally came out after extensive surgery and was now in a medical coma to recover from the cardiac tamponade and the broken ribs that punctured her right lung. Sal and the Macdonalds came by to check on Tommy and to cajole Buck into changing his clothes and getting some rest while they sat with him. 

Two days later, Dr. Hernandez finally came by with good news: Tommy was finally well enough to be discharged from the hospital. 

It was then they had their first real argument.

“I can’t stay at your place, Evan. You have enough in your place as it is with the twins. I can just stay at my place as usual.” Tommy tried to stuff his clothes into his bag haphazardly as he avoided eye contact. “I’ve done this before, and I can do it again, Evan.”

“That’s the point; you don’t have to do that anymore since I’m here now.” Buck huffed in exasperation. “For God’s sake, let me do that.” He grabbed the bag from him and began to pack properly. “

“Just stay with us while you recover, alright? The twins miss you, and I miss you. Just let me take care of you like how you have been taking care of us. And if you’re really that uncomfortable staying at my place, well, the twins and I can move temporarily to your place till you get better. 

Tommy huffed, already tired of the argument. “Fine, I’ll stay at your place. Just for a few days.”

“Good.” Buck then muttered aside, not quietly enough for Tommy to not hear it. “I mean, it’s not like most of your stuff isn't already at my place anyways.”

Tommy rolled his eyes.

The first few days were an adjustment for all of them. 

Tommy, who was too used to being mobile and helping around the house and with the twins, was frustrated as he couldn’t move around like he usually did, only resting in bed and sometimes on the very comfortable sofa in the living room. 

The twins are confused as to why Tommy, who used to dote on them so much, is currently ignoring them, crying piteously for him, and asking him to carry them around like he usually does. The babies would finally quiet down when Buck parked them gently beside Tommy on the bed or sofa, grinning when he found the three of them cuddling together, sleeping the day away.

Buck, meanwhile, took some more PTO, dedicating his time to both Tommy and the twins, taking care of them as best as he can. 

Thank god for their family, as everyone chipped in to help, Sal dropping off soups and hanging out with Tommy while Buck takes the twins out to the park or to their appointments, Connor and Kam babysitting the twins so Buck can take Tommy to his physiotherapy sessions, as well as May and Ravi helping out by doing what scant household chores Buck neglected while running around taking care of his family.

It was nice to have a good family supporting us, Buck thought as he put the twins down for a nap before sitting down beside Tommy as they enjoyed the afternoon sun. 

I hope Bobby is happy with what I have now.

Months later, Buck would unexpectedly asked Tommy the most significant question of their lives. 

It had happened out of the blue. 

Both of them had come back from Tommy’s final physiotherapy session, where he had passed with flying colors. The firefighter pilot was looking forward to recertifying for his flying license and was jubilant when they picked up the twins from the Macdonalds, the baby squealing as Tommy rained kisses on their chubby cheeks. 

Later at home, Tommy and Buck were slumming on the couch, a documentary playing in the background as they kept an eye on Leona and Ellis on the floor, playing with the new stuffed toys Nana Athena had bought for them (Buck is going to have stern words with Athena about spoiling the twins next time he sees her), when Leona passed the bunny to Ellis before suddenly pulling herself up by the coffee table. With a big grin on her face, she let go of the coffee table, and before their very eyes, the toddler began to toddle over toward them. 

“Evan!” Later Tommy would deny to his dying breath how high-pitched his voice had become as he slipped from the couch and onto the floor, his hands raised to catch the baby girl. Buck, meanwhile, was fumbling at his phone, trying to record the big moment. 

“Come on, baby girl!” Tommy tried to encourage her, “You can do it!” 

Just before Leona could reach Tommy, she stumbled; luckily, Tommy was able to lean forward to catch her on time. Ellis, meanwhile, eyeing the three of them, determinedly tried to stand up himself, wobbling a few steps after his sister before falling down and starting to cry. 

Tommy quickly scooped him up and began to soothe him, Leona following his example by patting her brother’s cheeks with her palm until he giggled.

“My darlings, you’re walking; we’re so proud of the both of you! Mwah!” Tommy kissed them all over their adorable faces as they giggled brightly. 

The loud thud behind him caused him to pull away from the babies as he looked over to Evan, who was looking at them with an awestruck expression on his face. 

“Evan?” Tommy asked in concern, “Are you alright?”

“Marry me.” Buck blurted out as he dropped to the floor in front of Tommy and the twins.

“Evan, what?!” Tommy’s sea blue eyes were wide in shock; the twins quietened as if they knew the moment was important.

“I—I know it’s not planned,” Buck said slowly, his heart literally in his throat, knowing quite well this might be the one that makes or breaks them. “And—and we’re literally sitting in a pile of toys right now, but—watching them take their first step, and how happy they are when you catch them, I just… I want every step after this to be with you. With us. As a family. Forever."

“Evan…”

“Will you,” Buck gently cups his face with his warm hands, “Tommaso Harrison Kinard, let me and my beautiful children make you the happiest man in the world for the rest of our lives?”

“Yes.” Tommy breathed out, his eyes big in wonder. “A thousand, a million times yes.”

“Oh, thank god.” Buck swooped in to kiss him, their giggling babies squirming happily between them.

Chapter Text

News of their upcoming nuptials was received with such excitement by their family and friends as everyone eagerly began to chip in ideas for the wedding. 

Both of them were grateful for the help; as it turns out, wedding planning is very hard. Who knew planning a wedding in LA could be expensive? Decent venues, including local parks, had a two- to three-year waiting list, and most wedding vendors with good credentials are fully booked till summer next year. 

(Tommy had jokingly suggested an elopement in Vegas but wilted under the combined glares of Athena, Kam and Gina.)

In the end they agreed on a backyard wedding using Buck’s place, especially as Ravi had surprised them on the weekend with a total makeover on the back garden, making it look beautiful with its colourful flowers and fragrant herb garden. 

Speaking about the house, Tommy offhandedly asked one day over breakfast if it’s okay for him to officially move in with Buck and the twins or if they should look for a bigger place before the wedding.

Buck, who was in the middle of mixing the oatmeal and mashed bananas for the twin, stared at him owlishly. “But you already have?”

Tommy huffed at him. “I know you joke about how much of my clothes are here, but I’m being serious.”

“I am serious.” Buck gestures around the sunlit kitchen. “Your mug’s been on that counter for three months. Your LAFD hoodie lives on that chair. The fridge is full of raspberry curd and pistachio spread— don't think I didn't noticed you bought a new jar this week. And there are more pictures of you and the twins on our photo board than me.”

He lets that hang in the air, then smiles gently. “You’ve been here. We’ve just been waiting for you to notice.”

He watched as the moment of realisation dawned on Tommy. 

“Oh.” His smile came back happily when he realised he was already home with them.

(Tommy ended up selling up his place, a two-bedroom fixer-upper in Silverlake, and put the money in the twins’ college funds.)

“Why can’t we just wear our dress blues?” Buck asked, bewildered, as the ladies tried to drag him to the car. To him, spending money on expensive tuxedos when they are just going to be married in a small, private ceremony seems wasteful.

Though the idea of seeing Tommy in a tux and peeling him out of the said tux was very tempting. 

Hmmm….

He looked at Sal, who was there hanging out with Tommy and the children, in hope for support.

“Hey, don’t look at me. Gina and I just got married in our uniforms at the courthouse downtown after an overnight shift because…” Sal trailed off when he realised there were innocent ears listening.

“Because?” His eldest daughter, Paige, prompted him.

“Because I love your mother very, very much, and we wanted to be a family as soon as possible.” Sal answered with a straight face as his daughters looked at him in adoration, Gina standing behind all of them, already turning red from suppressed laughter.

The wedding rings are beautiful. One of Tommy's friends was a jeweller and had come through with the rings. The designs they picked are beautiful: black titanium rings with dazzling blue fire opal and meteorite with the inscription ‘Where you are, I am home’ etched inside. 

They did talk about having a set of silicone rings for them to wear while they are at work, but Tommy liked the idea of having matching tattoos on the ring fingers very much, especially as one of Buck’s tattoo artists (he has 4) showed them her design, a beautiful double heart knot wrapped around their finger rings.

Hilariously, the wedding cake was the one that almost broke them. 

Buck knew about Tommy’s sweet tooth and his love for delicious cakes and pastries, unapologetic even as he cleaned out Buck’s entire stock of baked goods in his fridge when they got back together again.

So naturally, when it came to their wedding cake, he told Tommy to go wild, thinking Tommy’s vision for the cake would be amazing. 

Even when he saw Tommy whip out a thick binder full of wedding cake photos, bakery addresses with footnotes and an impressive table of flavour combinations, he was not alarmed by it. (Heck, he was turned on how Tommy was taking this very seriously.) 

He did make the mistake of offering to make the wedding cake after Tommy finally decided on the flavours but was simultaneously yelled down by the entire wedding party. 

“Absolutely not,”from Tommy, who looked appalled; from Kam and Gina, who ironically were feasting on his s’more brownies; and from Ravi, who was playing with the twins by their playpen.

"Why not?" He asked sulkily.

 “It's your wedding, Evan. You can’t be elbow-deep in cake batter the night before!”

 “What if it collapses?”

 “What if it’s too stressful?”

 “You hum when you’re stressed. It’s creepy.”

“Shut up, Ravi.” Buck threw the balled-up paper at his head. “It would have been a good cake.” He pouted but finally backed off after everyone stared at him incredulously, letting Tommy make the decision for the wedding cake. 

Except... Tommy simply couldn’t decide.

They visited bakery after bakery across LA.

Silver Lake.

Echo Park.

West Hollywood.

Even that place in Pasadena with the eclairs Tommy adores so much.

Yet nothing was right.

“This sponge is too dry.”

 “This one is fine, but do we love it?”

 “That buttercream tastes like store-brand lotion.”

 “I’m just not feeling emotionally connected to this ganache.”

By the third weekend, Buck began stress-eating complimentary macarons in silence. By the fifth, he quietly asked Kam if there were any mediators who specialise in pastry-related disputes.

“This is ridiculous,” Buck finally said, standing in the middle of a bakery where the walls were frosted like actual cake. “Babe, don't you think this is a bit too much?” (Yes, Buck is aware how ironic it sounds the moment it comes out of his mouth.) “It's just cake.” 

Tommy looked wounded. “It’s not just a cake! It’s us. It’s the centrepiece. The cake sets the tone for the whole reception! What if it doesn’t represent our love?”

Buck opened his mouth to argue but then stopped, finally realising something fundamental.

This wasn't about the cake after all. 

This was about Tommy wanting to showcase their love. Something that told the world: I made it. I chose not to be afraid and to stay. I chose Evan. And I’m not running this time.

“I think I have an idea.”

The idea for the wedding cake is beautiful. Even their baker at Helena Wirth Bakery down at Sherman Oaks agreed when she saw the idea, gushing about how awesome the idea is and even suggesting sugar-spun asters and sunflowers as decorations for the cake. 

They went for a four-tier cakes, each one tells a story of its own.

The top tier is a Champagne mimosa cake with orange zest and Prosecco buttercream; an homage to their argument over breakfast after their hook-up, a reminder of the undrunk champagne bottle in the fridge. 

The second tier is a pumpkin spice cake with cream cheese frosting; Tommy’s favourite fall guilty pleasure and a reminder of their first Halloween together, with the Billy Boil curse and Buck’s realisation that some people make life worth living. 

The third tier, cheekily suggested by Tommy himself, was the classic red velvet; because it was rich, dramatic, and unapologetically extra, just like Evan. 

The bottom tier, meanwhile, is a decadent strawberry and chocolate mocha ganache cake; strawberry being Tommy’s favourite fruit and chocolate mocha being Tommy’s coffee order that he got right after the third try and how Tommy’s lips tasted when they kissed at the end of the date. 

It was perfect. 

Now he’s left with one last thing.

Buck took a deep breath before dialling the number on his cellphone. 

This is it. 

He’s finally going to tell Maddie about everything, about the twins, Tommy and the upcoming wedding.

He listens as the phone rings for a while before Maddie finally picks up; the loud noise of children laughing and running around can be heard in the background. 

“Hello? Oh, hi, Buck. Sorry if it’s noisy; we’re in a park. One of Jee’s friends in the daycare is having a birthday party. What’s up?” 

“I, uh, needed to tell you something. Can we meet up today? Or sometime this week, it’s-it’s important.”

“Oh, uh.” Maddie sounded apologetic through the phone. “I’m actually all booked up the entire week. I picked up some extra shifts at the Dispatch.”

“Why?” Buck asked worriedly. “Do you guys need some money or something?”

“Oh no.” Maddie laughed brightly. “Well, sort of. I just wanted some extra pocket money for our family vacation next month.”

“A vacation?” Buck asked quietly; a pit began to form in his stomach. 

“On 4th April, for an entire weekend at Disneyland! Albert surprised us with the tickets last month! And get this, Karen managed to snag some fantastic family discounts, and with Howie managing to arrange the schedules around, we all decided to do this as a big family vacation.”

“The 4th? But—”

“Mara is so excited because she has never been to Disneyland before, and Jee is currently obsessed with princesses right now, so we booked the whole character breakfast – Cinderella, Belle, the works. You should join us, Buck; it can be a proper family vacation!” 

“That’s nice—” 

“Even Josh is joining us; apparently he and Carson broke up again, and he wanted a fun post-breakup vacation to heal his broken heart, but between you and me,” Maddie said conspiratorially, “I think he’s trying to see if he can get it on with Albert. So anyway, what were you going to tell me?

“...It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Are you sure? Sorry I keep rambling. You know how I get when I’m excited. And I am; it’s the first major family vacation for the kids, and we’re all excited for this.”

“No, it’s okay. You should be excited.” Buck said placatingly.

“We’ll catch up soon, yeah? Maybe after the trip. A sibling lunch? You can tell me....Oh shoot, I have to go.” He can hear faint crying in the background. “Call you soon, love you!”

Buck sighed and stayed quiet for a long while before muttering out loud. “I’m getting married on the 4th, and I want my sister to be there.”

“So that’s a no for the Wilsons too?” That’s the only thing Tommy said after Buck told him about the one-sided conversation. They were finalizing the guest list, and other than people from Buck’s Alpha and Charlie’s shift (he’s going to arrange food and some of the wedding cakes to be delivered to the house for Beta shift to enjoy) and Tommy’s crew members at 217, there weren’t many people for them to invite to the wedding. 

“Yup. And other than Micheal, David and Harry are flying in from Florida, and your cousin Greg and his family are coming down from Orange County; we don’t really have that many people left to invite.”

“You’re okay?” Tommy asked as he put the tablet he was holding aside and pulled him close. “I know you want your sister to be here for our wedding. I don’t mind you moving the date so Maddie and her family can come attend the wedding.”

“I do, but I guess I was being delusional about our relationship. Maddie has been distant with me ever since they fostered Mara.” Buck rests his head against Tommy’s chest, listening to his warm heartbeat. “But I’m used to it; this isn’t the first time she’s pulled away from me. Hey, it’s ok,” he pulled back a bit to look at his fiancé as he pulled a face at Buck’s confession. “It hurts a bit, but everyone cares about us going to the wedding, and that’s enough for me.”

“Are you sure?” Tommy wanted to make sure that Evan doesn’t have any regrets.

“Of course I’m sure. I’m marrying the man I love, surrounded by people who support and love us.” He grinned and dipped in for a kiss before reaching for the tablet again. “Lucy is bringing a plus one, right?”

The wedding day finally arrived. 

Ravi, May and Harry arrived early to decorate the backyard for the wedding; his pseudo-sister laughed as she ushered both of them back in, telling them to be ready to get married instead of fussing over them.

Lucy came by around 11am, wearing a nice light blue jumpsuit, her boyfriend wheeling her chair. 

“You know,” she teased them, “it’s not too late for me to be your best man, Tommy.”

“And watch you and Sal brawl again? “No thanks.” The pilot laughed as he pointed them to the backyard. 

(Both of them agreed that they wanted no groomsmen in the wedding, as Sal and Lucy had come close to a brawl over the honour of being Tommy’s best man (despite being in a wheelchair, she seems to be winning), while Connor and Ravi tried to out-brag each other in their bid to be Buck’s best men. They instead agreed to walk the aisle together and carry the twins with them, Sal’s girls as their flower girls and Liam to be the ring bearer.) 

Athena slipped into Buck’s room an hour before the wedding (he took over the twin’s nursery to get ready) as Buck finished putting on his wedding suit, an elegant dark blue suit paired with a blush pink tie that Tommy had picked for him. (Tommy would be wearing the same dark blue suit but a mint green tie.) 

She smiled as she passed him a small box. “Bobby would have wanted you to have this; it can be your something old.” Buck felt like crying when he saw what was inside: a pair of azurite cufflinks that he remembered Bobby once told him that Marcy had given him as their wedding anniversary gift, the only thing he had left of her after the fire. “This way, you have a part of him here in your wedding.” She whispered as she hugged him.

“Will you walk me down the aisle, Thena?” Buck asked shyly. 

She squeezed his hand. “It would be my honour to walk you down the aisle.”

Walking toward Tommy with Leona in his arms and Captain Hunt, who offered to officiate the wedding, under the beautiful paper flower arches, Buck couldn't help the tears in his eyes. Ellis, whom Buck carried in his arms, adorably patted at his father's wet cheeks, much to the guests' delight. 

Athena squeezed his arm warmly before stepping away, kissing Tommy on the cheek before making her way to her seat, leaving the family and their officiant on the altar. 

When asked later, Buck would answer that he could barely remember the ceremony itself; all he could recall was the bright afternoon sunlight, the tinkling sound of windchimes in the arches over them, the lavender ribbon in Leona’s band, Tommy’s bright blue eyes as they exchanged vows, the peals of laughter and happy cheers as Captain announced them as Mr and Mr Buckley-Kinard, and the twins trying to squeeze in as their fathers shared their first kiss as husbands, used to being showered with kisses for the past year by them. 

It was a perfect day, Buck thought as he pulled Tommy closer, sharing their first dance together as husbands, and a perfect beginning for the rest of their life together. 

Chapter Text

Leona ran as her father chased her around the living room, giggling merrily, avoiding him as he tried to catch her. 

“Princess, you need to put on your shoes.” Buck huffed as he finally stopped, his free hand raking through his curls, his wedding ring glinting as it caught the light. “Daddy needs to go in for work, and you two need to go to a daycare sleepover.”

“Noooo~” She whined cutely; her gold curls bounced wildly as she shook her head. “Don’t want to go. Daddy, you said you play with us.”

Buck crouched down, looking very apologetic. “I know, Nana.” He then turned his head to see Ellis pulling on his sleeve, smiling toothily. He was already wearing his shoes, but Buck grinned; he had noticed one crucial mistake. 

“Great job, buddy, but… hmm, it looks like the shoes are on the wrong foot.” He tapped his fingers playfully on the shoes.

The toddler immediately plopped down beside him, looking quite affronted, his little fingers struggling to pull them off and put them back on properly. 

Buck, used to his independence, turned back to his daughter. “See, Lee is already ready to go, so you need to get ready too.”

“But you promise.” She pouted adorably.

“I know, and it’s very bad of me to break that promise. But Daddy needs to go in and help people in trouble.”

“Daddy, help?” Nana asked, intrigued. “Daddy be a hero today?”

“Daddy is a hero.” Ellis quipped, finally putting on his shoes correctly. “Best Daddy.”

Buck felt as if he was going to melt from the sheer adoration the twins were giving him. The twins knew in basic terms that their parents were heroes (all thanks to May, who had been reading them bedtime stories with their family members as the heroic subjects) and would ooh and ah every time he and Tommy told them a children-friendly version of their day at work. 

He grabbed them and stood up, the twins squealing in delight as they hugged their big father, trusting him to keep them safe in his arms. “Yup, Daddy is going to be a hero today and save lives.”

He carried them out the door and into his car, a 2026 Toyota Highlander hybrid (don’t judge, the SUV is only for the kid’s use, and he still has his Jeep), making sure the twins are strapped properly into their car seats. "Ready?" He sneaked a look backward to see Leona grabbing her brother and Ellis lets her play with his arm. "Let's go!"

25 minutes later, Grace Hunt, the 24-hour daycare owner, and Stephanie, her girlfriend, watched with huge grins as Buck smothered his children with kisses and promises of ice cream when he got back from work. It wasn’t till Rafa Gomez, one of his technical rescue specialists, who was dropping his younger brother at the same daycare, finally came forward and dragged him away. “Come on, Cap, you're going to be late for work.”

Buck pulled a face before calling out one last time. “Papa will pick you guys up tomorrow morning at the daycare after he comes back from the conference. So behave!”

“Bye-bye, love you!” The babies threw air kisses at his departing car.

A lot has changed in the Buckley-Kinard household in the past three years. 

For one, Buck is a captain now for Station 88 Rescue Task Force, Alpha Squad. 

Captain Hunt, his former captain at Station 88, had received a promotion to battalion chief two years ago and named Buck as his successor, citing his dedication and experiences as reasons for making an excellent choice as captain.

Tommy, meanwhile, made a career change himself, having retired from his job as a helicopter pilot with 217 and now a flight instructor at the fire academy while transitioning into unmanned aerial systems (UAS) management as a Drone Operations Supervisor. It was a decision Tommy had made after a long discussion between both of them, wanting to give the twins a stable family life by being a more hands-on parent with a 9 to 5 job.

“Buck, Gomez, thanks for coming in on your day off.” Captain Maggie Grey of USAR 88 Beta Squad and IC for the scene greeted them with a big umbrella as Buck and Gomez got out of his car, their turnouts keeping them dry from the heavy rain. “Harper, Marks, and Matthews are already here.”

Buck stared at the scene; the south side of the building was a complete disaster zone, with a huge gap where the wall had collapsed and floors stacked unevenly like fallen dominoes.

“The flash flood hit the south side hard,” Grey said, voice grim. “The foundation’s completely compromised there. Water’s still rushing underneath, pushing debris and mud into the collapsed section. We lost 90% of the south wing—floors two through five gone.”

Buck’s eyes narrowed, mentally sketching an entry plan. “Active flooding?”

She nodded. “Yup, water’s still coming in strong. The ground’s saturated and shifting under us. Our crews pulled back after a partial secondary collapse when they tried to go in.”

“We’ve got at least sixteen civilians unaccounted for, maybe more, since several families reportedly lived on those floors. No confirmed fatalities yet, but that could change fast.”

“Right, we should—”

“Buck?” He turned in surprise to see Chim and Eddie staring at him in shock. 

Four years is a long time, Buck thought absently, cataloging the changes in his former colleagues. Chim looking older and tired, and Eddie is still looking tense, his jaws clenched as if he's trying not to snap at Buck. 

Buck nodded at them before turning back to Maggie. “We should separate into two teams; your team will go in through the west side, while I’ll lead a team through the south side and look for survivors.”

She looks relieved. “Yeah, that’s my plan as well. Right, I’m still waiting for 122 to arrive, so briefing in five?” Captain Grey quickly ducks into the command tent, leaving him alone with Chim and Eddie. 

He turned to follow her, not wanting to have the inevitable confrontation at an active disaster zone, when Eddie’s cold voice stopped him. 

“What, now you’re too good for us? Nothing to say to us after running away?”

Buck took a deep breath; this is so not the time, especially with so many lives at stake. 

Rafa and Alex Harper, his heavy rescue partner, came out of the command tent, looking for him. “Cap,” Rafa said calmly, ignoring 118’s shocked look at the title, “Captain Grey is ready to start the briefing.”

He nodded and followed them, leaving the awkward silence behind him.

"Alright, everyone, listen up!" Captain Grey surveyed the team in front of her. Joining the rescue were Station 88 Beta Squad and volunteers from both Alpha and Charlie Squad and Engines 118, 122, and 133. “We’ve got a partial collapse of a five-story structure here at 742 South Mission Road, right up against the LA River, which happened approximately at 4.47 pm. We’ve got active flooding and a compromised foundation," she points at a floor plan of the building they were about to enter, "and reports of at least sixteen people unaccounted for—possibly more, trapped inside."

"With this heavy rain, conditions are currently unstable and getting worse by the minute. Treat this as an active collapse zone and a live flood hazard, so act cautiously."

"USAR 88, Beta team, your squad will be going in through the west side. That’s our safest access point for now. Clear the second and third floors first. Check stairwells, mark your entries, and stay in constant radio contact."

"USAR 88, Alpha and Charlie teams, you’re on the south side, where the wall came down. That’s our heaviest damage zone. Expect debris and void spaces. Check for structural movement and work with extreme caution, especially as you head down into the basement and garage area. Captain Buckley, you would be leading the team."

"Engine 122 and 133, I need lighting on the west entry and pumps ready for basement drainage. You will be support for both search groups and deploy as directed by group leads."

Engines 118, your priority is containment and triage. Establish safe zones and start assessing and treating victims as they come in. I’m going to need an exact number of civilians in that building, so start cross-referencing names with the provided residential list.”

Captain Grey scanned the team. “Remember, heavy water pressure has undermined the building’s foundation. Stay alert for further collapse. Safety is our top priority. Any questions?”

Eddie, of all people, who had spent the entire briefing glaring at the back of Buck’s head, raised his hand. “Captain, why am I not on the search and rescue team? I’m qualified for heavy rescue. I should be in there, not stuck here with triage. If I were with my old captain, I’d already be in there pulling people out.” Chim, who was just watching the scene, turned red, furious at the absent slur against his captaincy. 

Captain Grey looked confused, but it was Buck who spoke up. “Last I checked, Firefighter Diaz, you are not certified for this kind of heavy rescue. This is a collapse inside a flood zone. Captain Grey is right not to put you in for heavy rescue; we don’t send people into specialized rescue without proper certification, not when we have civilians and fellow firefighters at stake here.”

“Bullshit.” Eddie spat. “You know I’m qualified, Buck, and experienced to do this kind of rescue. You're just doing this for your own ego, not because of some crap about safety.”

Sal, who was quietly coordinating with Captain Mehta on their duties, turned around, looking furious at Eddie. “What did you just say?” The captain hissed; several firefighters looked uncertain and wary. 

“You heard me! Let’s face it, this is just another act, another part of the trials and tribulations of Evan Buckley, Act 100. It’s not enough that you turned your back on 118; you just had to punish us for not pandering to your selfish feelings.”

The command tent was suffocating with tension. Radios were buzzing with urgent chatter, but no one was paying attention.

“What the hell, Eddie?! You’re out of line,” Chim finally intervened. “Stop it, or you're going to need to sit this one out.”

“Fuck off, Chim. Stop defending Buckley when he’s the one who walked away from us.”

“What the fuck,” Buck finally spoke, his voice tight with fury, “is wrong with you? We are in the middle of a disaster, and you would rather stand here and argue just because you don’t agree with your incident commander?"

"Might I remind you, Firefighter Diaz, 118 is no longer a technical rescue brigade and thus unqualified for heavy rescue? And you yourself are an EMT and not a technical rescue specialist anymore?”

Eddie snarled, but Captain Mehta quickly stepped up. “Back up right now, Firefighter Diaz,” he ordered calmly. “Before I write you up.”

Eddie reared back, finally snapping out of the haze of anger and realizing the crowd. He took a deep breath before muttering something under his breath and walking away. Chim, his face red with suppressed anger, nodded at them before leading the rest of 118 out of the command tent. 

Sal turned to his fellow captains. “Keep him under watch. If he even looks like he’s about to blow again, pull him.” He nodded at Buck and Grey before leaving with Mehta and their lieutenants.

Buck rubbed his face tiredly; this wasn’t the reunion he was hoping for. He looked up to see Grey touching his elbow. “Thanks,” she said softly, “for having my back.”

“You did the right thing, Maggie; don’t let Eddie make you doubt yourself.” Buck said warmly at his fellow captain before grabbing his helmet. “Alpha, Charlie Team, with me. Make sure your equipment is secured before entering the building.”

Hours later, Chim watched in disappointment as he watched Engine 88 pull away from the incident scene. He had hoped to talk with Buck for a while, maybe apologize about Eddie’s behavior and finally reconnect with his brother in law. 

He rubbed his face tiredly as he tracked back to Engine 118. He was not looking forward to talking to Eddie about his actions but knew quite well that the Latino would resist yet another attempt to get him into therapy. 

Honestly, at this point, he doesn’t see the point of keeping him around, not when his caustic behavior is hurting the station. 

Chim entered his house, still tired despite the warm shower back at the station. He was already daydreaming about his bed when he noticed Maddie was sitting on the sofa, waiting for him with a cup of hot tea. 

After the perfunctory comments about their job and the kids (Jee and Bobby are at school), Chim remembered something. 

“Hey Maddie, did you know Buck made captain? I just found out yesterday.”

Maddie was surprised. "What? That can’t be right. Are you joking?"

Her husband shook his head. "Nope. Saw him earlier at the collapsed residential building. Led an entire squad of USAR officers during the rescue."

Maddie’s mind raced. Why hadn’t Buck told her this himself? This was big news! Sure, they hadn’t spoken in so long, but this was important; it was something she would have expected him to share with his big sister. 

She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through old messages, her heart sinking with every clipped reply and missed invitation.

She paused at a text from two years ago, Buck inviting the family over to a family dinner. She had declined, telling him that she was already committed to attending her boss, Sue Blevin’s, retirement party instead. 

“Why didn't he tell me?” Maddie whispered, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “Did he think I didn’t care?”

Chim placed a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe he thought you were too busy. Or maybe he just didn’t want to bother you.”

Maddie felt her chest tighten. “But that's not right; I do want to know everything that's going on in his life. Now I feel like I’ve missed out on everything.”

“It’s going to be hard to make up for lost time,” Chim said slowly, “but it’s not too late now. We still have a chance to make it right."

Maddie nodded, already making plans on what to do next to fix the rift between them.

Chapter Text

Buck had a rather sappy smile on his face as he stopped by the hallway, watching as his very handsome husband lounged on their sofa reading. He immediately came forward and plopped dramatically over his husband, grinning at the dramatic ‘oof!’ Tommy let out as he caught him. “The twins?”

“May took them out for the afternoon. I figured you’d want to sleep in after the rough shift.” Tommy muttered softly as he carded his fingers through his curls. “There’s some soup and fresh bread if you want.”

“Later.” Buck yawned loudly, snuggled deeper into Tommy’s warm hold. After helping out with the collapsed residential building, he reported for his 24-hour shift without hesitation and immediately joined in several ongoing search and rescue operations in areas devastated by the sudden flash flood. Honestly, all he wants right now is to hold his husband close and get some sleep. “Just want to nap with you.”

Tommy smiled into his curls as he pet his husband into sleep, comfortable on the huge sofa, in the sunlit living room.

Athena knew the moment she opened her front door and found Hen standing outside that it was going to be a difficult conversation ahead. 

Thank God May took the twins out for ice cream and wasn’t home for this. 

“Come in, Hen.” She stepped aside to let the paramedic in before heading to the kitchen. She could feel Hen’s curious look as she took in the living room (Hen hadn't been much to her house; they had preferred to hang out at the Wilsons instead of Athena’s place) and knew she had questions, especially looking at the framed photos of the twins and her throughout the years. 

She at least has the tact to wait until after they've talked about how Harry and May are, but Athena can see how nervous she is. 

“Just ask, Hen.” Athena sat back, watching as Hen fidgeted with the coffee mug she was holding. 

“I’m not sure if it's okay to ask.” Hen hesitated before plowing on. “Yesterday, 118 was called in as support for a search and rescue operation at a collapsed residential building, and we saw Buck. We… I was wondering if you still kept in contact with him.”

Athena hummed as she stared at Hen. “Are you asking if I still keep in touch with my late husband’s son?” 

“He’s not Bobby’s son.” Hen protested before realizing what she just said. 

“Is that what you and everyone else in that station tell yourselves as all of you isolated the poor boy in his grief?” Athena’s eyes were sharp with suppressed fury. “You know, it’s funny you’re asking now, after all this time. You all froze him out the minute he left the station. Pretended he didn’t exist. And now you're curious?”

Hen flinched, but Athena continued, her voice rising slightly. “I saw that young man trying his best to keep in touch even after leaving 118. Text messages, calls, invites. And yet all of you ignored him. And now, when he’s finally moved on, when he’s built something good for himself, now you want to reach out?”

Hen shifted, uncomfortable with Athena’s steely gaze. “We thought he needed space.”

“No, you just didn’t want to deal with him,” Athena snapped. “He was grieving. He was isolated. And you all left him there.”

“You know, Bobby would have been disappointed with all of you if he knew how all of you treated Buck.” She watched in satisfaction as Hen flinched. “He was Bobby’s son even if they didn’t share blood. Did you know what his last words to him were? He asked Buck to watch over all of you. And what did you guys do? Reject all his attempts and treat him like he was still that immature probie who walked into 118 for the first time.”

She shook her head, her expression full of disappointment. “To answer your question, yes, I still keep in touch with him. He has a good life now, a captain at his station.” She didn’t mention the weekly dinners with Buck and his family or how the twins call her their Grammy. That part wasn’t for Hen to know. Not anymore.

“Tell 118 to leave him alone, Hen. He’s finally happy now; and I won’t let all of you ruin that for him.”

Eddie was having a bad day. 

Captain De Luca apparently had written him up (and made sure he knew who exactly reported him; he is honestly not sure what beef the captain has with him since they never met before), and he was currently put on administrative leave pending an investigation on his conduct during the search and rescue operation yesterday, and for once Chim didn’t have his back and didn’t even fight the decision. 

And he was supposed to be his captain, he thought bitterly. 

No matter, the investigation was going to show he did the right thing; the USAR captain didn’t have the right to bench him when they needed all hands on deck for the operation. It was all Buck’s fault; he must’ve influenced her decision. Judging from their closeness, they must be sleeping together, and Buck used that for some petty revenge. 

Whatever. 

He was going to have the week off anyways. 

He has an important meeting to attend today, one that made years of scrimping and suffering worth it.

The past few years were hard for Diazes, from having to downgrade their housing situation from the beautiful bungalow to a small loft apartment with one bedroom that he had magnanimously given to Chris while sleeping in the loft area in order to keep Christopher in the private school he was in to picking up extra shifts and cutting down unnecessary expenditures to afford living in LA.  

But thankfully all that had finally paid off, as Chris’s hard work at school had managed to earn him a partial scholarship with CALTECH studying aerospace engineering, and with the college fund he had saved up, Chris will be going to college debt-free. 

That afternoon, he, Chris, Adriana, and his parents gathered at his lawyer’s conference room, Helena and Ramon gushing over Chris’s academic achievement when the lawyer came in, holding a thick file. 

“Mr. Edmundo Diaz? Mr. Christopher Diaz? I’m Alex Harper, the lawyer assigned as trustee for your college account. Firstly, I would like to offer my congratulations to young Mr. Diaz for his early acceptance into CALTECH.” The lawyer smiled warmly at Christopher. “Now, I would like to brief you in regard to the accounts under Mr. Diaz’s name.”

“Firstly, the college trust account was set up by Mr. Evan Buckley in 2019 as part of his duties as his legal guardian up until 2025, when he ended his contribution as the sole contributor to the account. Fortunately, even after discontinuing his contribution, Mr. Buckley had made sure to put in safeguards on the account by making Mr. Christopher Gavin Diaz the only person that can access that account when he begins his tertiary education or when he reaches age 25.”

Eddie was stunned. 

“What do you mean sole contributor? I contributed to the account.” He said faintly, vaguely remembering Buck and Carla reminding him again and again about making sure he set up payment to the college fund account a few years ago. 

He did, didn’t he?

To his horror, the lawyer only shook his head. “I’m not sure which account you contributed to, Mr. Diaz, but I can confirm with the paperwork that Mr. Buckley was the only one who contributed to the account. He even made sure that after he stopped the payment, the account still generated income with the 4% interest, making it currently $57,120 available in the account.” 

“Now,” Mr. Harper looked displeased, “there is another account under Mr. Christopher Diaz’s name where his late mother, Ms. Shannon Diaz née Walker, had opened a trust account that can be accessed when he is 21 years old, amounting to $25,000. That account, unfortunately, was closed in December 2026 when the full amount was transferred to a private account belonging to Mrs. Adriana Guzman née Diaz under her authorization as his legal guardian. Furthermore, she also tries to access the college fund but fails due to the restrictions set up by Mr. Buckley.”

The silence following that announcement was terrifying. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Adriana?!” Eddie exploded with a loud roar in the middle of the conference room as he turned to his sister, who looked wildly around for an exit. “STEALING FROM MY SON?! YOUR OWN NEPHEW?!”

“My children need the money more than him.” She said defensively. “And I was right, he has a partial scholarship to CALTECH; he doesn’t need that money now!” 

“That money was from his mother; you had no right to it!” Eddie now remembers with a sinking feeling how just last year Adriana had bragged about sending all of her three children to an expensive private school. He didn’t realize she had used the money she stole from Christopher to do it. 

“From the mother who ran away from him?!” Adriana spat, mad that her brother had the nerve to be mad at her for putting her children first. “He’s just a cripple. He doesn’t need that money, but my children do! They need all the help they can get to be successful, unlike your son! He’s just a waste of space.”

Chris looked at her in horror. 

His own aunt.

How could she do this to him, spitting such vitriol at him while pretending all this time to be a loving aunt to him?

Thankfully, judging from his grandparents' horrified expression, they did not support her way of thinking.

The room immediately descended into madness as Eddie and his parents for once worked together, railing over Adriana’s callous remarks and her theft. Christopher, overwhelmed by everything, gestured to the lawyer and asked for his contact number and hobbled out of the conference room, calling for an Uber to the Wilsons. 

He has a lot of thinking to do.

Chapter Text

“Buckley-Kinards, the baby is craving a triple berry tiramisu.” Sal announced as he walked into the house.

“By baby,” Gina said dryly as she followed him, her hand resting gently onto her swollen stomach. “He meant him.”

“Babe, have you never heard of sympathetic pregnancy?” Sal sallied back with a cocky grin. Buck rolled his eyes at him but pulled out his tablet, already looking for a recipe. They were currently waiting for Tommy to get ready before the four of them heads out to the OBYGN for a routine check-up. 

After showing Sal the recipe he found and promising to make it for dinner later, he gently rubbed Gina’s stomach, grinning as he felt the strong kicks. “Baby’s doing well?”

“They’re definitely a Kinard. My girls weren’t this active when I carried them.” She said playfully. “But seriously, if you’re taking dessert orders, baby and I want banana and peanut butter pudding. Oh, and that red bean matcha mochi brownie thing you did last week.”

“Sure, anything for the mother of our child.”

Three years after they got married and watched the twins grow up from beautiful babies into precocious toddlers, Buck and Tommy found themselves missing having a baby to dote on. 

Gina had offered to be their surrogate after listening to another one of Buck’s drunk rambles about wanting a child with Tommy’s smile. Sal, surprisingly, was supportive of this, jokingly reminding Tommy they had owed him a child anyway after Tommy had helped him and Gina over a rough patch years ago and got them back together. 

After a successful round of IVF, the adults announced the news to their close family, which accidentally led to an interesting incident. 

Liam, who was playing with the twins and Izzie, looked up in interest at the news. “Sister? I’m getting new sisters?” He asked in delight.

“Uh, Liam, we don’t know the gender for the new baby yet; it could be a boy.” Kam tried to placate, but her son pouted.  “I know that! I mean, are Paige, Maggie, and Izzie my sisters now?”

He doesn’t understand why the adults look so confused. “That’s not how that works?" Bucky said in confusion. 

“Yes, it is! The new baby is going to be a sibling to the twins, and the twins are my siblings. The baby is also siblings to Paige, Maggie, and Izzie, so now they’re my sisters too!” 

His new sisters erupted into loud giggles while the adults looked like someone had hit them with a wet fish.

“We always wanted a brother.” Paige, the chaos child she is, quipped loudly. “It’s decided then! We have more siblings!” The 12-year-old quickly ran off with the rest of the children, not letting the adults fix the confusion. 

“What just happened?” Sal asked out loud.

Fast forward to today, Gina is seven months pregnant, and they still don’t know the gender of the baby, as the OBGYN technician was unable to get a clear image due to umbilical cord obstruction.

“Well, heart rate is 148 beats per minute—very strong. No signs of arrhythmia or irregularity,” Dr. Chen narrated as she observed the ultrasound. “Baby’s measuring 28 weeks and 3 days, right on target with the due date. Amniotic fluid levels are excellent, the placenta looks healthy, and movement patterns are consistent.”

“And it seems,” she said, turning to them with a grin, “your child has decided today is also not the day.”

Gina squinted at the screen. “Again?”

“They are still keeping their gender secret, I’m afraid.” 

Tommy chuckled under his breath. “Seriously? Again?”

Dr. Chen nodded. “This is what, the seventh time they’ve done this?”

“I told you,” Sal joked. “This child is definitely a Buckley. There’s no way they didn’t inherit your taste for chaos.”

“Hey!” Buck and Sal immediately quibbled, with Gina egging them on.

Tommy, meanwhile, took one of the ultrasound photos, gently tracing the white blur in the center—the hazy profile of a nose and the outline of a tiny hand—smiling to himself.

He can’t wait to meet their small ball of chaos soon.

Eddie stared in horror at the stack of unopened bank statements and notices from the law firm handling Christopher’s accounts he had haphazardly stored in the drawer. How did he not realize he had never contributed to Christopher’s college funds? How did he miss Adriana stealing the money Shannon had left for their son? Where did all his money go?!

Later, after digging through the bank statements and calling his banks and later the LAFD finance department and the lawyer he met earlier, Eddie leaned back on his chair, rubbing his face tiredly. 

Good news: 

1. The account he had set up (it was really Carla) for Christopher’s medical bills and health insurance had remained untouched, and a portion of Eddie’s pay is still contributing to the account. Whatever happened next, Christopher’s well-being was being taken care of. 

Bad news: 

1. He had never realized or noticed how significant the pay cut was that he had gotten when the station was demoted from a technical rescue station to a normal firehouse; even the overtime shifts he had been frantically taking for the past three years didn’t make a dent in the 15% loss of income when he lost the position as a heavy rescue technician.

2. A large portion of his pay had gone into paying back the mortgage loan he had taken when he temporarily moved back to Texas. Even selling the house didn’t manage to pay off the debt that was still affecting Eddie’s credit score. 

3. Legally, he won’t be able to get back the money Adriana had stolen, as there were never any real restrictions on the account Shannon had left for Christopher, as it was her right as guardian to access the account. A civil suit would cost a lot more, and there was no guarantee Adriana could pay it back, as she had apparently used all that money for her children’s private education and an expensive vacation to Aspen for her family. 

Christopher is going to have to defer or turn down the Caltech offer outright because there is no way they can afford sending him there, not without a significant student loan. 

Ramon and Helen offered to pay for Christopher if he applied instead to UTEP and came to stay with them in El Paso, but Eddie’s pride won’t let him accept that offer, not when that decision would mean he would lose Christopher to his parents again. 

No. He's going to fix this, one way or the other.

Telling Denny and Harry (who coincidentally was in LA for a short visit) about what happened in the meeting let some weight off Christopher’s back. He still regrets the fact that choosing to believe his dad over Buck has cost him his relationship with the man who once helped raise him. 

“I think the reason why I haven’t been getting anything from Buck is because Dad never gave him my new phone number and email.” Chris showed them the inbox of his old email that he had abandoned while in Texas, full of emails from Buck up to last week. 

He felt like crying as he saw the emails; Buck still thought of him even after he ghosted him for the past four years. 

“My dad told me their fallout was nasty. He said Buck was being selfish, that Buck only thought about himself and didn’t care about anyone else. How he’s a bad guardian for me, and Aunt Adriana would keep me safe. And I believed him.”

“Now I found out my aunt had stolen my inheritance from my late mom, and Buck was the one who kept my college fund safe, the same man who raised me almost all my life, the only one who contributed to the said account. God, I don’t know what to believe anymore.” He moaned, resting his head on the coffee table, tilting his head as he watched his childhood friends.  

Denny would be starting this fall at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA to study medicine, fully paid by his parents, thanks to Karen’s smart financial decisions. Harry, meanwhile, was in his second year at the University of Florida studying fire and emergency services for his undergraduate studies (the only caveat from his three parents for him to join the Fire Academy as a heavy rescue technician after graduation).

And now because of his father’s stupidity, he might not have a bright future, unlike his friends. 

“I missed Buck.” He said softly. “I owe him so much, but I don’t even know if it’s too late to reconnect.”

“I missed him too.”  Denny confessed. “But I’m too afraid to ask Mom if I could see him because of how bad last time Mom and Mama argued about him. He was so nice to me and even to Mara the rare times he got to meet her. And now Jee and little Bobby barely knew him except through the Christmas and birthday gifts he sent them every year.” Denny joined Chris, resting his head on the cool coffee table, the two of them sighing loudly. 

“I know where Buck’s new address is.” Harry suddenly said reluctantly, his two friends quickly sat up, staring at him in surprise.  “But if I take you guys there, you have to promise me that you guys will respect his privacy.”

Chris watched in astonishment as Harry’s car pulled into the full driveway at a nice, modest looking house on Archwood Street.

“This is where Buck lives?” He asked as all of them got out of the car; he and Denny hesitated as Harry pulled out two gift bags out of the truck. 

“Yup. Come on.” The delicate windchime by the front door chimed merrily as they walked past it, Harry knocking on the door. They listen to the sound of small feet pattering to the door, and to their surprise, a young boy opens it. 

“Harry!” 

“Oh, hi, Liam!” Harry gave the kid a hug. “Didn’t know you and your parents were here tonight.”

"Bucky making lasagna tonight! And daddy," the young boy giggled, "burnt dinner again."

"Again? At this rate, I'm gonna think it's intentional." Harry laughed, pulling out a box of chocolates and gave it to him. “Don’t tell the adults I gave that to you, and share it with your siblings.” 

“Ok!” Liam quickly tugged them into his shirt with a big grin on his face. 

“Hari!” “Hari!” A pair of identical toddlers ran out of the living room and crashed into Harry, babbling loudly.

“Hello peanuts!” He ducks down and pulls them into a tight hug, the kids giggling happily as he sets them back down. “I remember how we had fun at the music exhibition last time I was here, so I got you guys this.” He pulled out a kid violin, which he passed to the toddler with the ribbon in her hair, and a thick book for the young boy. Denny and Chris couldn’t help the grin on their faces as the twins squealed in delight, hugging Harry again. 

“Harry?” Chris and Denny got another shock when Tommy Kinard, of all people, came down the stairs, freezing in shock to see who was there with him. 

“Oh, hey, Tommy.” Harry said sheepishly, rubbing his neck. “So I brought a few extra guests with me for dinner; I hope you don’t mind.”

“Chris? Denny?” Everyone turned around to see Buck step out of the kitchen, his eyes wide with disbelief. 

“Surprise?”