Chapter Text
Buck would say he has a great relationship with his sister Maddie. They’re really close, she comes over for dinner often, she enjoys babysitting Summer and Christopher.
And it’s nothing new, he’s always looked up to his big sister. They’ve gone through things together that most siblings never have. He trusts her with his life.
So when Maddie texted him earlier, asking to come over to talk, Buck thought it was just to catch up. Maybe they’d talk about her baby, he would joke again about naming the baby after him. He really didn’t think much of it, it’s just Maddie.
The problem is, he should’ve known it was going to be a serious conversation when she asked if they could be alone when she came over. Of course he said yes, having asked Eddie to take the kids to the park, but now he’s seriously regretting it.
“You invited mom and dad to visit?” He finally says.
Out of all the things he thought she came over to say, that was never even in his mind.
“Yes.”
He sees her grimace from the corner of his eyes as he stares ahead. He almost feels bad for her but then he remembers this is entirely her making.
The thing is, it has been almost twelve years since Buck saw either one of his parents. And it’s not like he left on good terms either. He had ran away with a newborn baby because he couldn’t fathom raising a baby in the same household he grew up in.
It’s not like they haven’t talked since then. Buck called them when Maddie got hurt and taken, and they did call when Buck got crushed by the firetruck, but both calls were short and dry.
Buck did think about inviting them to his and Eddie’s wedding, but the thought of dealing with their commentary on what is supposed to be one of the best days in a couple’s life made him choose not to.
So now he’s married to a man, with two kids, and they have no idea.
“And you’re just telling me now?” He adds, finally looking at her. He can see the guilt spilling out of her.
“Well, you know, you were in Texas, and…” Maddie starts and Buck has to fight not to roll his eyes. He was in Texas almost three weeks ago. “I wasn’t completely sure they were coming.”
“You’re just telling me now that they have crossed the California state line, and it’s too late for me to talk you out of it.” He starts. “Though, I’m still not sure who talked you into it.”
Maddie has always had a better relationship with their parents than he’s had, but it’s not like she doesn’t remember everything they’ve both been through with them.
“No one. I guess I just want my little girl to have a normal family.” Maddie’s words cut a lot deeper than Buck would like them to. He also wanted that. He deserved to get that so long ago. It’s not fair that she got it so easily. “You know, uncles and grandparents that she might actually know.”
“Well, then maybe you should’ve gotten knocked up by a guy who has one of those.” Buck says, rolling his eyes.
“Well, that is not funny. Maybe, maybe this’ll be a good thing, you know?” And she sounds so hopeful that Buck almost wants to believe her. “You could talk to mom and dad, tell them how you’ve been feeling. Could be good for your therapy right?”
After the tsunami, Buck and Eddie had talked for a bit and together they decided that it could be a good thing for all of them to go to therapy. Summer and Christopher seem to be thriving, neither one is scared of water anymore and their communication skills have gotten much better.
Buck is doing better than he thought he would, turns out he’s got a lot of trauma, but he’s working through it and he can tell it’s benefiting everyone around him too. Eddie is still a bit closed off, apparently his therapist Frank can be a bit blunt, but he’s doing better too.
“Or it could cause me to need more of it.” Buck points out.
“I think I’m willing to try. And maybe mom and dad are too. Maybe they could meet Summer, and your family.” Maddie suggests softly but Buck’s already shaking his head.
“No, that’s not happening.” Buck says firmly.
“Buck, don’t you think they should get to know their grandchild? Or that Summer should get to know them?” Maddie asks. Buck is already getting up from the couch, standing in front of her with a pained expression.
“No, no, Maddie, they had that chance years ago and they blew it. They set their eyes on her for two seconds and were already talking about giving her away. No, I- I can’t do that.” He says. He can feel his eyes begin to prick and it pisses him off even more. God, he really doesn’t want to cry over this. “My kids have Bobby and Athena, and Eddie’s family don’t like me very much but they love those two.” He continues. He can tell he’s working himself up.
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry.” Maddie says, standing up now and taking his hands in hers. “I’m sorry, honey.” She says, her hands caressing his cheek as she calms him down like when they were kids.
“I’ll be there for you, I will, because this is important for you.” He says, watching as her eyes soften at his words. “But we’re a team, okay. A united front. You are not allowed to leave me alone with them.” Maddie nods at his words, her big brown eyes pouring into his.
“I won’t, I promise. And don’t worry, Chimney’s gonna be there too.” She says and the news makes him relax slightly. “And Albert.”
Buck nods and pulls her into a tight hug, being careful with the big round belly. He melts into her embrace, taking a deep breath.
This is going to suck.
Eddie’s staring at him like he’s grown another head.
“I don’t even know what to say.” He finally says.
“Yeah, I felt like that for like two minutes.” Buck says, sighing loudly. He melts deeper into the couch, watching Eddie take his hand and caress it softly.
Buck had waited until both Summer and Christopher were asleep to tell Eddie the news. He hadn’t believed him at all until Buck showed him the text Maddie sent him with the time of their dinner, two days from now.
“How are you feeling?” He asks him.
“Honestly?” At Eddie’s nod Buck lets out a laugh. “Like that dinner might finally be the thing that kills me.” He jokes and Eddie rolls his eyes.
“Buck.”
“No seriously, I mean, if a firetruck didn’t do it and neither did a tsunami, my parents finding out I’m gay with two kids might finally do the trick.”
“Hey, who knows, it didn’t kill my parents, it might not kill yours.” Eddie says and Buck laughs softly. “What are you going to do?” He chooses to ask.
“I can’t leave Maddie with them, we deal with them together.” Buck says and Eddie just nods along. Buck knows he’s not going to comment on if he agrees or not, but he knows Eddie hates it. “Maddie thinks they would like to meet Summer.”
Eddie sits silent for a while and it starts to make Buck nervous.
“Well, what do you think about that?” Eddie finally asks.
“I don’t want it.” He says it plain and simple. “I don’t want to risk having her be around them and have her hear whatever it is they have to say about her or me, or who knows, if they’re feeling really evil they’ll even be mean about her mother.” He quickly realises he’s raising his voice so he takes a deep breath. “I can’t do it, Eds.”
Eddie’s hand shifts to his face, holding it with the most soft look in his eyes.
“Hey, relax.” He says softly, almost sounding like a whisper. “I’m on your side here. If you don’t want it to happen, then it won’t happen.”
With every word that comes from Eddie’s lips, Buck feels like he’ll fall in love all over again.
“I really love you, Eds.” He admits. He never wants Eddie to not know how he feels about him.
“I really love you too, Buck.” Eddie says. He pulls him into a soft kiss, there’s barely a touch but somehow it brings an inner peace that Buck has been searching to feel all day. When he pulls away there’s such a soft smile on his face that Buck never wants to look away. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You deserve a massage.”
Eddie stands up, dragging Buck up and leading him towards their bedroom. Buck lets a huge grin spread on his face as he allows himself to be led.
“Oh, do I?” He teases, throwing himself on the bed as Eddie locks their bedroom door.
“Shut up, Buckley.” Eddie says, leaning on their closed door, a grin also on his face.
“Come here and make me.”
Buck arrives at Maddie’s apartment and his already rapid heart begins beating even more rapidly. He fears he might have a heart attack some time tonight.
He’s put to work almost immediately. Chimney leaves him in charge of organising all the drinks of the night, and Buck thinks if he doesn’t die tonight, Chimney might be the one to go. He looks and sounds more nervous then when he had a rebar going through his head.
“I got wine… red, white, sparkling, in case you wanna do any celebratory toasts, and tequila.” Buck says, pulling out the tequila bottle. He honestly might chug some of it down before his parents arrive. “Not sure why we needed two bottles.”
“Those are for me.” Chimney says, snatching them out of his hands.
He really wanted a sip of it.
Buck feels like a nervous wreck. Earlier he called in the help of the professional stylists, Summer and Christopher Buckley-Diaz, to help him get ready for the night. He thought it would help his nerves. They picked out his outfit and made him promise he’d be home before they fell asleep.
That was the easiest promise Buck has ever made.
“You’re wearing jeans. Well, I was told I was not allowed to wear jeans.” Albert complains from beside him. Out of all the people in this apartment, Albert is the last person on the list that has something to complain about.
“You stop whining.” He tells him. “Pre-heat the oven. 350.”
“Whoa.” Maddie says, finally done getting ready. “We’re baking stuff?”
“Baked brie. Fig jam. Abuela told me it’s really good for pregnancy.” Buck explains. He was so excited to tell her that Maddie was pregnant, and was even more excited when Abuela began to give him advice on what he could help Maddie with.
“Well, isn’t she just the sweetest.” Maddie says and Buck beams at the compliment as if it had been directed at him.
The knock on the door brings them all back to earth. Buck can feel his heartbeat increase once again, he really might have heart problems after this week.
He throws the wrapped cheese he’s holding at Albert who quickly throws it in the oven. He stands next to Albert and breathes out, hoping it’ll help somehow. He watches as Maddie does the same before she opens the door.
“Dad! Mom!”
The sight before him makes him feel the worst he’s felt so far.
He can’t help but notice they’ve aged. It’s been twelve years, it shouldn’t be surprising to him that they’ve gotten older but Buck has always imagined them looking the exact same as they did the night that he left.
He watches as his parents walk in the apartment, both of them holding various presents for Maddie and her baby, big smiles on their faces. He pretends not to hear his father say they’re grandparents now, tightening his hold on the counter. The sight squeezes at his chest, forcing him to take yet another deep breath.
He does his best to shake off the ‘I deserved this too’ thought from his head and finally moves forward.
“Hey.” Is all he manages to say as he awkwardly makes his way towards them.
“Evan.” His mom says, a smile on her face that he’s never had directed to him before.
“You look good.” His dad says, clapping his shoulder.
“Ah, so do you.” He replies back, a smile on his face.
It gets even more awkward pretty quickly as they introduce Albert and they discuss nicknames. In only two minutes Buck feels like his energy has been sucked right out.
As the night moves on, Buck thinks he might go insane by the end of it.
During their dinner, he listens as they tell them everything that’s been going on in Hershey, Pennsylvania since they left, which is pretty much nothing. Apparently the hospital has gotten bigger and there are more schools around the street they grew up in, but other than that it continues to be a very normal, maybe even boring, town.
Buck chooses to stay silent as they continue talking. They don’t seem at all interested in what everyone else has been up to, they don’t ask Chimney much of anything, they pretty much ignore Albert and they haven’t even looked at Buck much.
They’re making it pretty clear that they’re only here for Maddie and her baby. Everyone else isn't that important.
“I’m glad you guys had a nice drive.” Maddie says once they’re finally done with their monologue about the drive here.
“We saw a lot of the country.” Their dad says, sounding happy about everything he saw.
“The first few days, there was nothing but rain, then we got here. Blue skies and sunshine.” Their mom says and she finally looks at Buck. Buck feels slightly embarrassed for being happy from getting his mother’s attention
“Yeah, we had a lot of rain earlier in the year, but, uh, lately it’s been dry.” He says, not willing to give up the chance.
“Hm.”
Buck is 29 years old and yet he feels like he’s a child all over again, saying anything and doing anything just to get his parents attention. It’s weird to know that despite all this time apart, some things never change.
“I can’t believe you drove all the way across the country in an RV. That sounds exciting.” Albert says, trying his best to break the awkward silence that keeps happening.
“Statistically speaking, it seemed the safest way to travel right now.” His dad explains.
“We didn’t want to take any chances, given Maddie’s condition and it being a high-risk pregnancy.” There it is. The first mean comment of the night.
“Well, no, it’s not really high-risk-”
“Oh, she’s over 35.” Their mom interrupts. Buck can see from the corner of his eyes, Chimney holding Maddie down by her shoulders. This night is going so badly, he wishes he was Eddie right now so he wouldn’t be here. “That puts her at a higher risk, so we all need to be extra careful.”
“The baby’s fine, Mom.”
“But you don’t wanna take any chances. Not when you’ve waited this long.”
Buck is not usually the person to ever successfully make the mood feel less awkward, but both Maddie and Chimney seem speechless and Albert can’t shake the shocked expression off his face so he’s stuck with it.
“Uh, she was just waiting for the right time.” He tries, turning to look at Chimney. “The right guy.” He adds, slapping his friend on the knee.
It looks like it’s a successful save.
“God knows you certainly didn’t.”
The room goes silent pretty quickly after that.
Buck doesn’t know what he had been expecting it to be like when his parents brought it up. Maybe they would ask about her, why she hadn’t come. Or maybe they would look at her pictures in Maddie's house and wonder about her.
He thought of many possibilities. None of them were this.
“Dad. Come on.” Maddie pleads.
“I’m sorry.” His dad says but Buck is still frozen in his spot. “How is... she, Evan?”
Buck stares at him for a few seconds, unsure on what to say. He can feel a bead of sweat going down his back, everyone is staring at him waiting for a reply and he’s too nervous to actually answer him.
“Summer is actually doing really well!” Maddie answers for him, her voice laced with joy. “She’s getting so big and she’s getting really interested in astrono-”
“Summer? Why would you name her Summer?” His mom interrupts. Buck tries to ignore the grimace on his mother’s face.
“Uhm..” Maddie tries but there’s no use.
“I’m gonna get some water.” Chimney says, getting himself out of this conversation. Buck is desperate to get out too.
“Why is Maddie answering for you, Evan? Is she raising your daughter?” His dad asks him and out of all the things they’ve managed to say in these few hours, this is the one that pricks at his skin the most.
“No, of course not. I’m raising her, the same way I’ve been raising her for the past twelve years.” He clarifies, he’s trying his best not to raise his voice or start a fight he won’t know how to end. “Maddie just spends a lot of time with her.”
“She’s the sweetest little girl.” Maddie adds and that compliment alone makes Buck’s chest feel lighter.
“You know what, I’m gonna start bringing this stuff into the kitchen. Would anybody like a refill while I’m in there?” Chimney asks as he returns.
Buck looks around the room, his eyes finally landing on the clock over the fireplace. He really should be getting back.
“I’ll help.” Albert says way too enthusiastically.
Buck feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly pulls it out, finding a picture from Eddie. It’s Summer and Christopher both knocked out on the couch, followed by Eddie calling them sleepy heads.
“Actually, I think I should get going.” Buck manages to finally say.
“Buck.” Maddie immediately protests, her arms shooting up to stop him. She’s probably thinking it might have something to do with the conversation. It definitely does but he also just wants to get home to his family.
“Leaving so soon?” His mom questions and he can tell from her tone that she’s not too happy about it.
“It’s getting really late and I promised I’d be home to put the kids to bed.” He explains.
He honestly didn’t mean to say it. It slipped out before he could stop himself.
“Kids?” His mom asks, sounding hurt.
“Ah, uhm.” Buck starts, unsure on how much to say. He chooses to play it safe and escape without answering. “Yeah, look I really should go. This was great, thank you for having me, Mads.” He says, placing a kiss on Maddie’s head.
The shock must be a lot for his parents because neither one of them says anything else as he says his goodbyes to Chimney and Albert and makes his way out of the apartment.
The deep breath he takes once he’s finally back in his car is so strong it cracks his back.
His drive home is quick, he’s certain he must’ve broken a few laws racing home, but the feeling of walking through your own front door after a hard day makes it worth it.
Three heads shoot up from the couch, tired smiles on each of their faces.
“Daddy!” Summer lets out.
Buck quickly makes his way towards the couch, dropping next to Christopher. He pulls the little boy to his lap, throwing an arm around Summer to pull her in for a hug.
“God I missed you guys.” He finally lets out, melting into the couch.
One day he and the couch will be one and the same.
“How are you?” Eddie asks, careful not to say too much.
They had chosen not to say what exactly Buck would be doing tonight, choosing to say he was going out with people he used to know from back home. It must show on his face how bad it was because Buck doesn’t have to say anything for Eddie to nod in understanding.
“Are you going to put us to bed?” Christopher asks, snuggling up to him.
“I am, but first let me enjoy these snuggles some more.” He says, placing a kiss on both kids' heads.
“Aren’t you guys going to tell your dad what you did while he was out?” Eddie asks, brushing Summer’s hair out of her face.
“Can we daddy, please!” Summer begs all excited, Christopher joining her pleads.
“Please do. Tell me everything.” He says, his heart squeezing from her and Christopher’s squeaks of excitement.
Coming home to them made tonight worth it. He just hopes he has the strength for the rest of this week.