Chapter Text
The first time Buck met Shannon was the day he saved her- and several others- from a car.
He was meant to be on duty that day, but agreed to switch shifts with someone from C-shift so he could make it to his daughter's dance recital.
So, Buck went and did what he usually did when he wasn't on shift.
He saved lives as Spider-Man.
His Spider-sense went off as he was swinging through the area, his eye caught a car speeding toward the crosswalk as people went across.
Buck dove between the car and people, jamming his arms into the front of the car, causing it to skid to a halt.
He took a step back, bumping into someone behind him.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" He apologized, turning around. "I wasn't paying attention to..." He trailed off, wide-eyed with shock underneath his mask.
Shannon was in front of him. Right in front of him.
She was pale and breathing heavily, recovering from a panic attack at the realization she almost got hit by a car.
Buck had seen her before from a distance, she was beautiful. He could tell why Eddie fell in love with her.
"Oh my God, Spider-Man!" She blurted out, taking in his awkward stance. "My son loves you, he's going to be thrilled when I tell him about this."
He smiled, despite knowing she couldn't see his face underneath the mask.
Yeah, Chris had mentioned his love for Spider-Man when Buck saw him.
"I love kids." Buck responded, "I could sign something for him if you'd like."
"I couldn't." Shannon waved him off. "You're probably busy."
He shrugged, looking back at the car. "Yeah, I should probably go check on her." He motioned toward the driver, conscious but very freaked out. "It was nice to meet you, ma'am."
"Yeah," She adjusted her grip on her purse. "You too." And then she hurried across the street, looking both ways until she made it safely to the sidewalk.
Buck jogged over to the driver, knocking on her window. "Are you alright in there? I'm sorry about the car!" He spoke a little louder than normal, knowing from his job as a firefighter that talking through a closed window was hard.
The lady nodded. "I just- I didn't see them there, is everyone okay?"
"Yup! They're all going to be just fine!" Buck assured her, giving her two thumbs up. "Can you open the door? I need to make sure you're okay too!"
Sirens were coming from a distance, getting closer.
He recognized them belonging to a fire engine and an ambulance.
"Actually, the paramedics are going to check you out, okay?" He said. "But you still need to open the door!"
Hesitantly, the lady opened her car door and undid her seatbelt.
She stepped out on shaky feet, nearly falling over with how much she was shaking.
Heavy footsteps came running toward them, soon enough Hen and Eddie were next to him.
"We can take it from here." Hen assured him, casting him a pointed stare.
He knew the 118 weren't fond of Spider-Man, they thought he was reckless, stupid, and inferring with their jobs.
So, none of them knew that their very own Evan Buckley was really 'The Amazing Spider-Man' as dubbed by Taylor Kelly.
Buck nodded, taking a step back to give himself enough room to swing away without getting in anyone's way.
He swung from building to building, mindlessly, not really paying attention to where he was going.
'Oh my God, I just saved my best friend's wife' kept playing on repeat in his head.
Eddie was going to be so relieved that Shannon was safe.
Maybe he'd change his mind about Spider-Man.
But, for some reason, Buck felt bittersweet about it.
He obviously didn't want Shannon to die, that would be awful, but Eddie and Shannon still had each other- they had Chris too- and Buck was just...
Alone.
It was fine, he was used to being alone.
He just thought that maybe he wouldn't have to be if he had Eddie.
Buck shook his head, trying to clear away his thoughts so he could focus on his job.
Spider-Man was needed, Buck's feelings would just have to be pushed to the side.
Buck spotted his next emergency, a lady desperately trying to get her purse from a thief.
His feet connected with the purse snatcher's torso as he swung into action, knocking the man off balance.
The lady grabbed her purse and ran off, not even a 'thank you' was tossed his way.
Oh well.
"You don't wanna do this, pal." The purse snatcher said, taking a small switchblade from his pocket.
Buck pretended to flinch. "Is that a knife? Oh, my weakness!" He wailed, doubling over like he was pained by the sight alone. "It's small knives!"
The snatcher seemed confused, which granted Buck the opportunity to web him to the wall.
He sighed, standing back up. "Oh, it's so easy."
"Hey-" Buck webbed the man's mouth shut before he could protest.
Buck stepped away, admiring his handiwork but something was missing.
He faked a sneeze, shooting a web that hit the thief right in the crotch. He grinned underneath his mask when the man let out a yelp of pain.
He loved being Spider-Man.
Footsteps came rushing into the alleyway, two cops with their weapons drawn.
Buck had never seen them before, they both looked young, so he assumed they were new.
"Freeze!" The shorter one said, aiming her gun at him.
He held his hands up and rolled his eyes. "I'm a good guy! I'm helping you!" He exclaimed, motioning toward the purse snatcher.
"Who are you?" The older cop asked.
Oh. New cops and new to LA.
Buck glanced at the purse snatcher like someone in The Office glancing at the camera. "No one seems to grasp the concept of the mask."
He thwip-ed up to the fire escape, then the roof as he made his escape.
Because he wasn't about to get arrested for helping out some random lady, there was just no way he was letting that happen.
Besides, that would cut off his ability to help people and expose his identity to the world. So, he would prefer to not be arrested.
"Spider-Man!" A voice called from the streets, causing Buck to look down from where he was perched on the corner of the building.
A familiar redhead was standing below, her cameraman by her side with it pointed up at Spider-Man.
"Looks like we caught you on your break!" Taylor Kelly grinned, microphone ready for an interview. "Care to answer a few questions?"
Buck sighed, letting his head hang low. He didn't usually do interviews, but he couldn't really get out of this one without being rude.
After all, he was supposed to be the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
He crawled down the wall, letting go a few feet off the ground and landing safely in front of Taylor.
"The people of LA seem really fond of you, Spider-Man, but there are many complaints coming from first responders saying you are interfering with their work. What do you have to say in response to those accusations?" Taylor then thrusted the microphone in his face, nearly causing him to reel back.
"Well, I certainly don't mean to get in their way. I'm just trying to do my best to help the citizens of LA." He answered, calmly.
Taylor nodded. "So, where were you when the earthquake hit? The citizens of LA certainly could've used your help then."
Buck was helping, just not as Spider-Man. "Uh, sometimes my help doesn't make the news. I can't be everywhere all at once."
"It's strange that you're typically only out at night, does this mean you have a different life during the day?"
"No- No comment." Buck fake coughed to hide his stutter.
"That certainly would explain your absence during the earthquake."
"Look, I try to keep Spider-Man separate from my personal life." He explained. "I don't want to put the people I love in danger."
Taylor quirked an eyebrow. "Does this mean you have a Ms. Spider?"
Buck laughed. "No, there's no one like that..."
No, because Ali left. No, because Eddie had Shannon. No, because all of his relationships fell apart because he didn't know how to be both Buck and Spider-Man.
There was a sharp ringing in his ears, muffling the sound of Taylor's voice as she kept talking.
He could pick up hints of a conversation, a struggle.
"Sorry." Buck blurted out, stepping away from Taylor. "Duty calls."
He webbed himself back up the building before he could hear Taylor's response, not that it mattered anyway.
Following the noise, he eventually found the source of it coming from a small, hole-in-the-wall convenience store.
He admitted to stopping by once or twice, they were cheap and Buck was... Well, he wasn't exactly rich.
"Please, just go away." The cashier pleaded. "I gave you what you asked for."
"I said give me all the money in the register, there's no way this is all of it." The robber demanded, shaking an angry fist filled with a few dollars.
"That's all, I swear!"
Buck cleared his throat, "C'mon, really dude?" He asked, webbing the robber's hand to the counter. "You can't just be happy with what you have?"
"This ain't none of your business, Spider-Man." The robber snarled.
"I may be Spider-Man, but I'm also known as 'The Crime Fighting Spider.' And by that logic, this is my business." Buck argued. "Now, return the money and no one gets hurt."
The robber kept trying to free his hand from the web, pulling strings of synthetic webs away, but Buck just webbed both of his hands together.
Crime was really lacking that day. He was grateful.
He grabbed the cash and handed it back to the employee, "Call the police. They'll take this guy away."
Buck patted the robber's shoulder before casually strolling down the aisles, he was starving and this place sold a mean chicken wrap.
"Spider-Man!" A voice gasped, one that was suddenly becoming all too familiar.
He turned, spotting Shannon near the end of the aisle. "Oh hey." He waved. "You're... the lady from this morning." He pretended to just barely recognize her.
"Yeah, I am. It's crazy I'm running into you for the second time in one day." She chuckled.
"It is!" Buck agreed. "Maybe now I could sign something for your kid?"
"Oh, that would be awesome." She pulled out a pen from her purse. "Sorry, I don't have much. Could you sign this?" She held out a birthday card. "His birthday is in a few weeks, so I've been trying to pick out a present. This would mean the world to him."
"Y- Yeah, of course." He took the pen and card from her, looking down at the generic, printed message.
He signed the card, fancying up his usual writing and making it more stylish so it didn't look similar to Buck's handwriting.
Spider-Man may have just signed Chris' birthday card, but Buck still had yet to.
"Thank you so much, have a good day Spider-Man." Shannon said, taking back the card and pen before she hurried out the door. Probably on her way to get Chris from school.
Buck stood awkwardly, watching her leave.
She had the life he wanted so badly, but could never have.
He could only hope all of the Diazes were happy. They deserved happiness.
Buck spent the next few hours swinging around the streets of LA, stopping whatever crime he came across.
Mostly it was small stuff; robbers, out of control car, petty fights, nothing he couldn't handle.
Eventually, he had to go back to his loft and get ready for his shift.
He carefully looked around, searching for nosy neighbors as he climbed up the side of the building to get to his loft.
The window by the fire escape slid open easily, he crawled in with practiced ease.
His mask was tossed off to the side, allowing him to gulp in fresh, unrestricted air.
He found breathable fabric, but with all of the sweat and dirt, it still wasn't the same as without the mask.
"...Buck?" A voice called out, startling him out of his daze.
How didn't he notice someone in his apartment? He had Spider-senses!
Actually, let him rephrase. How didn't he notice Eddie in his apartment?
Eddie was in the kitchen, his eyes red and tearful like he'd been trying not to cry and failing.
He looked like a mess.
"Look, I- I can explain!" Buck said, putting his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "It's not what it looks like."
"Really?" Eddie scoffed. "Because it looks like you're Spider-Man."
"Okay, uh..." Buck didn't have a plan for this. He never thought he'd have to explain himself so suddenly. "Yeah, I'm Spider-Man, but..." Fuck. What was he supposed to say? "I was gonna tell you..?" The statement came out as a question, he shrugged awkwardly as he said it.
Eddie shook his head in disbelief. "Were you?" He asked, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Or was I gonna have to find out? Because, from where I'm standing, it seems like I was going to have to find out when I got a call from the hospital after another Electro situation where you could've died!"
"But I didn't die! I was fine."
"How was I supposed to know?!" Eddie countered. "I saw the news footage. You were getting tossed around by some psycho with lightning powers!"
"Max wasn't a psycho, he was just misunderstood. And- And lonely."
"Oh, so you're communicating with these people? What else have you been doing, Buck?"
"What do you want from me?!"
"The truth!"
"I was trying to keep you safe, Eddie." Buck choked out, his face mirroring Eddie's tearfulness. "I wanted you and Christopher to be safe."
"You don't get to make that choice for us, Buck, I do." Eddie snapped, stepping closer to Buck. "As his father, it's my job to protect Christopher and I can protect myself. I don't need you doing that for me."
Buck sniffled and nodded, wiping tears from his face with his gloved hand. "Okay.." He breathed, shakily. "I- I'll get out of your hair. I overstepped and I'm sorry." He moved back toward the window, yanking his mask back toward him with a web spinnerette.
A firm hand landed on his shoulder, keeping him in place. "That's not what I meant, Buck."
"Then, what did you mean?"
"I'm sorry, I just-" Eddie sighed, hanging his head low. "I need my best friend right now, not Spider-Man."
"Yeah- Okay, uh, would it be easier if I took off the suit or-?"
"Just sit with me." Eddie pulled him over to the kitchen island, each of them grabbing a seat.
Neither of them spoke for several moments, Buck let Eddie take the time he needed to get ready to share whatever it was.
Eddie rubbed his eyes, trying to get rid of the dry tears on his face. "Sorry, it's been a week."
Buck nodded. "Take your time."
"Shannon wants a divorce." The brunet blurted out suddenly, not waiting like Buck thought he would. "She asked for one last night."
"I thought you all were happy together." Buck admitted, furrowing his brows. "You and Chris seemed so..." He motioned vaguely, trying to think of a word. "Light. With her."
"Yeah, I thought so too. But I guess she doesn't feel the same."
"What did she say?"
"She said she was going to learn how to be a mother first, then maybe she could learn to be someone's wife."
"But, you're already married. Can't you just live separately?"
"Shannon doesn't think so and I think I agree."
"What?" He was shocked. "Uh, why do you agree? If you're willing to tell me."
"That's kinda why I came here." Eddie said, giving Buck a sideways glance. "Before I had to reach out to Shannon, I started thinking about some things."
Buck nodded, swallowing thickly. "Wh- What kind of things?"
"I'm gay, Buck."
"That's-" Great. Amazing. Wonderful. Terrifying. Slowly killing him inside. "Thank you for telling me. This doesn't change a thing between us."
'Oh my God.'
Buck was praying for a sniper to take him out, he needed to shut up.
Of course this changed things between them! Buck was in love with Eddie and Eddie was gay!
But that didn't mean that Eddie loved Buck.
"What made you realize?" Buck asked, hoping his voice didn't betray how he felt.
"A lot of things." Eddie admitted with a shrug. "There are so many girls flirting with us on calls and..." He shook his head. "It's flattering, I guess, but I don't really like women like that."
"But you like when men flirt?"
Eddie smiled. "Yeah, I do."
Buck felt like he was on a rollercoaster, his insides were in knots and he felt light-headed. "I'm glad you figured that out about yourself." He whispered. "You deserve a nice guy in your life."
"Thanks, Buck. I really needed this."
"Anytime."