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Normally, the idea of a double date with his sister and her boyfriend was the exact opposite of what Buck would consider fun (Maddie and Chimney were gross, okay? He was so happy that his sister was happy and in love, but that didn’t mean he wanted the evidence right in front of him), but Maddie had insisted. She had told him that she had some big information and wanted to tell him and Eddie together.

Chimney had picked the restaurant, so Buck and Eddie had left Chris home after transferring him money to order food and headed to the new Korean BBQ place that had opened a few months before. Maddie and Chimney were already seated when they arrived, so they were led to the table as soon as they walked in. Buck greeted Maddie with a tight hug and a kiss to her head before sitting across from her; Eddie scooted close to him in the booth.

They made small talk while they got their drinks and waited for their food — Maddie told stories about some of the calls she got at work and some of her coworkers that made them all laugh (except for one that included Abby and her new boyfriend, that was apparently just out of college — that one made Eddie scowl). Chimney and Eddie talked about the latest game (Buck thought it was baseball, but to be honest, he had no idea. He was definitely in the room when it was on, but he was busy on his knees with his mouth full) while Buck and Maddie gossiped about the latest drama on their favorite reality show that Eddie despised.

It wasn’t until their plates were cleared that Maddie began shifting in her seat. “So…the news that I wanted to tell you.”

“What is it?” Buck asked, propping his head up on his fist. Instead of answering, Maddie grabbed something that was sitting on the booth beside her and set it in front of them - a small, plain blue gift bag. “What’s this?”

“Typically, one opens a gift to find out what it is,” Chimney smirked at him, and Buck flipped him off before tugging the bag closer. He reached in and pulled out a small bundle of cream fabric. He furrowed his brows a little and unrolled it, laying it flat on the table in front of him and Eddie.

It was a onesie. A newborn onesie. That spelled out, in pastel rainbow letters in a retro font, with little flowers dotted around the script: “I love my Uncles”. Buck bluescreened.

“Oh my god,” Eddie gasped, looking between Maddie and Chimney. “How far along?”

“As of yesterday, I am officially fourteen weeks!” Maddie beamed, and Buck finally looked up at her.

“You’re pregnant?” Maddie laughed and nodded. “Holy fuck!”

“Evan!” Maddie scolded him lightly. “Are you happy?”

“Yes! Holy shit, I’m gonna be an uncle!” Buck wasn’t sure he had ever felt this fucking elated. Maddie was having a baby! A real life human baby! “I’m gonna be Uncle Buck!” Eddie leaned over and kissed his cheek, hand sliding over Buck’s thigh to rest there, squeezing gently.

“Congratulations, to the both of you,” Eddie said sincerely. “This baby is gonna be really lucky to have you two as their parents.”

“Thanks, Eddie. That means a lot, coming from you,” Chimney nodded a little, but Buck couldn’t take his eyes off his sister. She was having a baby. “Buckaroo? Are you computing over there?”

“I’m just so fucking happy! You’re having a baby!” Buck’s smile took over his entire face — Maddie was going to be the best mom ever. She had already been that to him. “Can I tell people? Or talk to people about it? Have you told anyone else?”

“You two were the first,” Maddie giggled. “We’re telling Hen and Karen tomorrow morning at brunch, and Athena and Bobby at dinner. I’ll tell Josh and everyone the next time I work.”

“Can we tell Chris? I bet he’ll be so excited to have another cousin, he loves his baby cousins!” Buck almost teared up, imagining Chris holding Maddie’s little bitty baby after they were born.

“Yes, you can tell Chris,” Maddie agreed easily. Buck sighed in relief — there was no way he could hide how fucking excited he was when they got home, and Chris would be suspicious if they couldn’t tell him and that kid was persistent when he wanted something.

“Do you have an ultrasound?” Eddie asked, and Maddie nodded. She reached into her purse and slid the photograph across the table.

“You can keep it. We’ve got plenty,” she said. Buck slid it closer and stared down at it for a long moment.

“Where’s the baby?” he asked, looking between Maddie and Chimney. Eddie laughed and kissed his temple, pointing out on the print what the baby was. “It looks like a bean.”

“Well, I am only just barely in the second trimester. It’ll take a minute for them to actually look like a baby,” Maddie put a hand on her belly. “So, you’re happy?”

“Mads, this is the best news ever!” Buck nodded quickly, staring down at the ultrasound. “You’re gonna be a mom. You’re gonna be the best mom the world has ever seen.” Maddie’s lip wobbled a bit and her eyes teared up as she reached over the table to take Buck’s hand.

“Thank you, Evan,” she squeezed his hand in hers. “You’re gonna be the best uncle.”

“Uncle Buck and Uncle Eddie,” Chimney tried, smirking a little. “Sounds pretty perfect to me.”

***

The next few weeks, Buck was floating on air — Maddie was having a baby! He was going to be an uncle to the cutest baby in the entire world (only because he hadn’t known Chris as a baby), nothing could bring him down. Not even the shitty calls at work where he got covered in sewage or vomit. And Christmas had been better knowing that the next year he would have a niece or nephew to buy presents for.

Now, in the New Year, things were looking up for Buck. Not only was life going great for Maddie, he had the world’s hottest boyfriend with whom he had regular, life-altering sex, and said boyfriend had the coolest kid in the world. He was kicking ass at being a firefighter — he finally felt like he found his purpose, and his team wanted him around because they liked him.

It figured the universe needed to knock him down a peg or two.

It started when Maddie texted to ask if they could meet for a quick breakfast before she went to work on one of his days off. Eddie had picked up a half shift so he had already gone, but Buck had Chris with him seeing as it was a weekend. Chris had only agreed to come because he had been bribed with free breakfast and a trip to the arcade after.

“Hey, Mads,” Buck greeted his sister with a quick kiss to her cheek after they sat down at the small table she was already occupying. They had grabbed their drinks and pastries before joining her, and Chris didn’t waste time digging into his. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good! The morning sickness and fatigue has faded, and now I’m firmly in the craving the weirdest combinations possible phase,” she grimaced a little. “Chim’s been really great about getting me whatever I want.”

“Good! You’re the one doing all the work, he should be waiting on you hand and foot,” Buck insisted. “So, you didn’t ask to meet just to make small talk. So what’s up?” Maddie suddenly looked nervous, biting her lip as she fiddled with the cardboard sleeve of her drink.

“So…there’s something I need to tell you. And I don’t think you’re going to be very happy with it. But it’s something I’ve thought about a lot, and I already did it.” she said and took a deep breath.

“Mads, just spit it out-”

“Mom and Dad are coming,” she cut him off, staring at him with wide eyes.

“What?” Buck’s face dropped. “Mom and Dad are coming? Here? To LA?”

“Yes.” Maddie nodded. “Buck, I really think this is gonna be good. I told them I was pregnant and they wanted to be involved.”

“Now. They want to be involved now,” Buck could feel the boiling in his stomach. “They certainly didn’t when we were kids.”

“Buck, c’mon, it’s been a long time. And I want my kid to have a family — aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents,” Maddie pleaded with him.

“Then you should have gotten knocked up by a guy who had those,” Buck huffed, shaking his head. “When are they gonna be here?”

“Tuesday,” Maddie winced and Buck inhaled sharply. That was three fuckings days until he had to see his parents again for the first time in eight fucking years. “I…they’re getting a hotel, but they’re coming for dinner that night. I would like for you to come too.”

“Maddie…”

“Please? I want you there with me,” she asked, now wringing her hands together and fuck. She only did that when she was really nervous.

“Fine. I’ll come to dinner,” he conceded.

“Thank you! I’ll text you the details, okay? I have to get to work. Good you see you Chris,” Maddie smiled at them both as she made her exit, leaving Buck and Chris sitting at the table alone.

“You really don’t like your parents, huh?” Chris concluded.

“No, not really,” Buck shook his head. “They would have had to be around for me to like them.”

“Oh. That’s shitty. I’m sorry.” Buck laughed a little and glanced over at the kid.

“It’s alright. Just not looking forward to seeing them again.” In fact, that was the last thing he wanted to fucking do. He never wanted to see his parents again, and he never thought he would. Thought that day he left in the Jeep would be the last glimpse he ever got of them, the last words they ever exchanged.

And now here they were. Having dinner together like everything was normal.

“Ready for the arcade, kid?” Buck asked, draining the last of his coffee.

“You sure? We can just go home if you don’t wanna be like, around people right now,” Chris offered and Buck smiled gratefully but shook his head. Being alone with his thoughts was not the move.

“Nah, I’m alright, thanks though. C’mon, let’s get going so you can kick some Mario Kart ass.” They spent a couple hours at the arcade, Chris rotating between a few of his favorite games while Buck hung around the little snack bar they had, drinking countless sodas with the free refills.

Did his parents even want to see him? Maddie hadn’t mentioned telling them that he would be in attendance at dinner, or even that they had asked about him. Could he bring Eddie? Did he want to bring Eddie? He wasn’t sure how his parents would even receive the fact he was bisexual and dating a man — especially a man with a kid.

Buck checked his phone again to see a text from Maddie with the details about dinner — it would be at her apartment at seven on Tuesday night. He was welcome to bring Eddie, but she hadn’t told his parents that he would be bringing anyone, so it was up to him.

Great. Now he had to make that decision.

Eventually, Buck went to collect Chris, letting him finish the game he was playing before they headed out to his Jeep. It was quiet at first, neither saying anything for at least half the drive home before Chris seemingly couldn’t take it anymore. “So, you’re gonna go to dinner with your parents?”

“Guess so,” Buck nodded, not taking his eyes off the road. “I agreed to it.”

“Are me and Dad going too?”

“No,” Buck immediately shook his head. “Well, maybe your dad. But you’re not. I don’t want you anywhere near them.”

“Why not?” Chris turned in his seat to look at him, and Buck glanced over, taking a deep breath.

“Because I know they would say something shitty and underhanded about your CP, or your Dad being a single dad, or both, or they would find something, and I don’t want you around them,” he explained. “And I know I’m not usually the one making those decisions about you, but they’re my parents, so this time, it’s my call.”

“So…if I’m not allowed to be around them because they’re that bad, why are you gonna be around them?” Buck laughed a little, humorlessly. God, the kid had a good point.

“Because sometimes, as an adult, you have to do shit you really don’t want to do. In this case, I’m doing it for Maddie, because I would do just about anything for Maddie,” Buck said, and sighed sadly. “It’ll be fine. I’m - I’m being a bit dramatic because I haven’t seen them in so long, but I’m sure it’ll all be fine. They’re probably only gonna be in town for a few days anyway, and then I can go back to not talking to them.”

“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself,” Chris noted. “But you do you, Buck. I want pizza for dinner on Tuesday.”

“You’ll have to take that up with your dad,” Buck countered, smiling a bit — he didn’t think there was any way that he could be truly sad with Chris around. “I won’t bring it up, but I’ll back you up.”

“Thanks, Buck,” Chris nodded in agreement. After they got home, Chris headed to his room to work on an essay he apparently had to get finished before Monday, and Buck started on the laundry. The rest of their day was chill — they both just scavenged and snacked for lunch, and Buck made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner that they ate while watching another few episodes of the show they were watching together (they had finished Bones months ago, and at the recommendation of Chimney, had moved onto Psych).

Eddie arrived home halfway through an episode, and he immediately dropped onto the couch in Buck’s lap, tucking himself as close as he could physically get. “Rough shift?” Eddie only nodded, mustache scratching Buck’s jaw. “You want me to heat you up some food?”

“Not right now,” he denied. “Wanna cuddle.” Buck smiled softly and nodded, pressing a sweet kiss to Eddie’s forehead as he tightened his hold on his boyfriend. Neither of them moved until the end of the episode when Chris decided he was finished for the night, and headed down the hall to take a shower.

“Want food now?” Eddie agreed but clung to Buck as they walked to the kitchen, only separating from him long enough for him to dish out the leftovers and put them in the microwave. As soon as he was free, Eddie shoved his arms around Buck’s middle and tucked himself into his chest. Buck smiled fondly and rubbed his hands up and down Eddie’s back soothingly, lips pressed to his head.

“Why did Maddie want to meet up this morning?” Eddie asked, words a little mumbled as half his face was smushed against Buck’s chest.

“Oh…” Buck took a deep breath. “My uh…my parents are gonna be in town on Tuesday. I’m having dinner with them and Maddie that night.”

“What?” Eddie yanked himself back and stared at Buck for a long, silent minute. “Why the fuck are they doing that? Why the fuck are you doing that?”

“Maddie called them to tell them she was pregnant. They said they wanted to be more involved so they’re flying out,” Buck shrugged and leaned back against the counter. “And then she asked if I would come to dinner and I couldn’t say no because it’s Maddie.” Eddie huffed and stepped in between Buck’s legs, laying one hand flat over his chest.

“Sometimes I hate how big of a heart you have,” he whispered. “You care so much about others and not enough about yourself. You know that seeing your parents is only going to end in heartbreak for you.”

“Not necessarily. It’s been years since I’ve seen them, maybe they’ve changed!” Buck suggested, but withered at Eddie’s knowing look. “Yeah, you’re right. But I have to. I’m not leaving Maddie alone with them.”

“Chimney won’t be there?” Eddie asked.

“Well, yes, of course, but he’ll be on his best behavior, and he doesn’t know how to handle them. I do,” Buck tucked his hands in the back pocket of Eddie’s jeans. “Maddie said you could come, but I-”

“Of course I’m fucking going,” Eddie interrupted him. “I’m not letting you face them alone.”

“Are you sure? Because-”

“Buck,” Eddie said sternly, pressing their chests together. “Did you ever leave me alone with my parents when they were here?”

“Not if I could help it,” Buck admitted, and Eddie nodded.

“So why would I leave you alone with yours?” he leaned in to press a soft kiss to Buck’s lips. “Chris’ll stay home for the night, and we’ll go have dinner with your parents.”

“Super fun, exciting evening,” Buck snarked, pinching Eddie’s ass lightly. “If you’re sure.”

“Of course I’m sure, baby,” Eddie promised, kissing him again. “I’m coming to find out there’s not a lot I wouldn’t do for you.” Buck inhaled sharply and pulled Eddie into another kiss, both ignoring the microwave as it beeped behind them on the counter.

***

Buck and Eddie stood outside Maddie’s door, hands clasped together between them, palms sweating (that was mostly Buck, to be honest). “Are you ready?” Eddie asked quietly. “Because if you really can’t do this, we’ll walk right back to the car and go home. I’ll call Maddie and tell her that Chris got sick and we can’t leave him. He puts on a really good impression of vomiting.”

Buck barked out a laugh but shook his head. “No. No, we can do this. I can do this. It’ll be fine.” Eddie lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to the outside of Buck’s before he raised his other fist to knock on the door.

Only a moment later, it swung open to reveal Chimney, a stressed smile stretched over his face. “Evan, Eddie, how nice of you to join us.”

“Hey Chim,” Eddie frowned as Chimney moved aside to let them in. “We brought a cheesecake for dessert.”

“That’s so thoughtful of you guys,” Maddie said as she appeared, reaching out to take the plastic case from Buck. “I’ll put it in the fridge. Mom and Dad are in the living room, if you want to go say hi.” She looked anxious — Buck could see how shifty she was: trembling hands, unable to hold his gaze, tight smile. All classic signs of a nervous Maddie.

“Let’s go. I’ll introduce Eddie,” Buck tugged his boyfriend along to the hallway, taking a deep breath before they stepped around the open doorframe. “Mom, Dad, hi. It’s nice to see you both.”

“Evan! I wasn’t sure you were going to show,” Philip said, standing from the couch where he and his mom were sitting. “You’re late.”

“Sorry about that,” Buck said. “We just had a few hiccups getting out of the house.” Read: Chris was being a little shit about what he wanted for dinner — Eddie had said no to the pizza and had cooked him a veggie chicken pasta to heat up when he got hungry instead.

“We?” his mom finally stood, looking between him and Eddie. “Who is this?”

“Mom, Dad, this is Eddie. My boyfriend,” Buck swallowed thickly as Eddie dropped his hand and stepped forward, holding it out to Philip and Magaret instead. “Eddie, this is Philip, and my mom, Margaret.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Eddie said. “Buck is one of my favorite people on the planet, so I’m so glad to finally get to meet the two people who made him the man he is today.”

“Oh, that’s…that’s very kind of you to say,” Margaret seemed a little flustered by Eddie’s enthusiasm, but they both shook his hand nonetheless. “We didn’t know…we didn’t know you were gay, Evan.”

“I’m not,” Buck corrected her. “I’m bisexual.”

“Right,” she nodded faintly. “How long…how long have you two been together?”

“It’ll actually be a year next month,” Eddie said proudly. “Valentine’s Day.”

“It’s not,” Buck argued — they had been fighting about this for months. They had first kissed and had sex on Valentine’s Day, but Buck maintained that their anniversary should be their first date. Neither had conceded yet. “Technically it was nine days later.”

“Oh, well, that’s very nice,” Philip said placatingly. “You’re serious then?”

“Absolutely,” Eddie answered. “Buck moved in with me and my son just after our six month anniversary.”

“Son? You have a son?” Margaret interjected, stepping forward. “Are you…are you sure you want someone you’ve only been dating a year around your child? I mean, obviously that was never a problem that came up for us, but some of my friends waited years to introduce their new boyfriend to their children.”

“Seeing as my kid is fifteen years old, I figured it was better to introduce them sooner, so if Chris really didn’t like him, we could deal with it,” Eddie answered, lying out of his ass — Buck had met Chris long before they started dating.

“Your son is fifteen?” Philip asked, looking Eddie up and down. “I hope you don’t me asking-”

“I’m thirty-four,” Eddie answered with a tight smile, and Buck squeezed his hand. “Chris was born when I was nineteen.”

“So you’re also…bisexual?” Margaret looked at him, eyes wide, and Buck had to bite his tongue.

“Nope, I am as gay as a maypole,” Eddie smirked down at her. Before anyone could say anything else (thank fucking God), Maddie announced that dinner was ready. They all filed into the kitchen and dining room, and Buck and Eddie claimed two seats on one side of the table, leaving Philip and Chimney to sit at the ends on opposite sides, and Maddie and Margaret to sit across from them.

“It smells delicious, Maddie,” Buck complimented as soon as they sat down. She had made pot roast with three different sides, and he couldn’t wait to dig in — maybe she’d let him take some leftovers so he could bring them for lunch at work the next day.

“Thank you,” Maddie smiled warmly at him across the table. “Everybody dig in before it gets cold!” Eddie grabbed one of the sides — roast potatoes — and served some onto both his and Buck’s plate while Buck did the same with one of the other sides — grilled asparagus. Eventually, everyone had a little bit of everything, and with everyone occupied by eating, there wasn’t much space for conversation, and all of it was focused on Maddie and the baby. Eddie hooked their ankles together under the table and slid his chair over so they were pressed together from shoulder down, and Buck was grateful. He needed the physical reminder that he wasn’t alone in this, he wasn’t facing down his parents as a lonely nineteen year old again.

Things were going surprisingly well — his parents had only made a few off the cuff comments about Maddie and Howie being unmarried by the time the cheesecake they brought was being served. Buck should have known that it couldn’t last.

“We’re so glad you’re happy now, Maddie,” Margaret commented. “God knows that you and…Doug were never right for each other.”

“Right,” Maddie nodded shakily. “He’s out of the picture now, so he doesn’t matter. I wanna look to the future, my future, with Howie and the baby.”

“How is he out of the picture? You never told us,” Margaret asked seemingly politely, but Buck knew better. “Did you get a divorce?”

“Uh, n-no, no, it wasn’t a divorce,” Maddie smiled tightly. “But let’s not bring it up, yeah? It’s in the past.”

“Well, aren’t you worried that he might show up one day? And if you’re not divorced, you can’t marry Howard, and it would be such a shame if your child grew up with unmarried parents.” Buck had heard that same condescending tone a million times over his childhood and it grated on his ears now the same way it did back then.

“Mom, Maddie said she doesn’t want to talk about it,” Buck cut in, staring across the table at her. “Doug isn’t a problem, okay? He’s not ever going to be a problem, so just drop it.”

“Why? What happened? Evan, did you do something to him?” Philip asked accusingly, narrowing his eyes at him.

“He didn’t do anything to Doug,” Maddie answered for him. “I did, okay? It was me or him, and I’m the one that’s still here, so can we drop it?” It was silent for a long minute but finally his parents seemed to agree to move on, as they turned their sights back to him.

“What are you doing for work, Evan?” Margaret asked. “Have you figured it out yet? Or are you still flitting between jobs?”

“I’m a firefighter. I work at the same station as Howie, actually. So does Eddie,” Buck answered, shoving a bit of cheesecake in his mouth.

“That’s…that’s a very dangerous profession, Evan. You could get hurt,” Philip said haltingly. “Are you sure that this is the job you want to pursue?”

“Yes, I love being a firefighter. It’s something that I’m really happy doing,” Buck said firmly. “And sure, I’ve gotten hurt a few times, but it’s not been anything awful.”

“You just got hurt so many times as a child, we figured you would have grown out of it by now, is all,” Philip’s voice was strained, fingers clenched tight around his fork.

“I didn’t…this has nothing to do with that. I’m a firefighter because I want to be a firefighter, not because I’m looking to get hurt,” Buck frowned and looked down at his plate. “I love being a firefighter. I love getting to help people.”

“Buck is an amazing firefighter,” Eddie said, sliding his hand over onto his knee. “I’ve been a firefighter for eight years now, and he’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with. I don’t trust anyone more to have my back.”

“That’s…very nice,” Margaret’s smile was more of a grimace, but Buck was willing to drop it if it got them out of there faster. “Are you two planning on getting married? You said you were serious, and you live together.”

“Yes, we do,” Eddie affirmed. “We don’t have an exact timeline or anything, but we’ve talked and we’re both committed to each other. I certainly don’t see myself loving someone as much as I love Buck.” Buck inhaled sharply and leaned over, pressing his lips to Eddie’s cheek gently, letting his lips linger against the rough scratch of his stubble.

“I love you too,” he whispered when he finally pulled away, resting his chin on Eddie’s shoulder.

“Well, hopefully at least one of you will have a happy marriage,” Margaret commented, and any tranquility Buck had felt before was gone in a flash.

“Mom!” he snapped. “Are you serious?”

“What? It’s just the truth, isn’t it? Maddie’s marriage wasn’t a happy one.”

“Yeah, and you did nothing to help her, so maybe keep your opinions to yourself,” he seethed. He felt like punching something, someone, but his parents weren’t an option and Doug was dead, so.

“Evan, don’t be so ridiculous, we did what we could,” Margaret argued. “But Maddie is her own person and she didn’t tell us anything was wrong.”

“You should have known! She’s your daughter!” Buck slammed his hand on the table. “I know the second something is wrong with Chris by his fucking body language but your kid was getting beat until she had broken bones and you had no clue!”

“Buck,” Maddie whispered, looking up at him pleadingly. He took a deep breath and curled his hands into fists, shoving them both between his thighs.

“I think it’s best we get home,” Eddie said calmly. “We have to make sure Chris gets to bed and we’ve got work tomorrow. Maddie, thank you so much for having us over. Margaret, Philip, it was a blessing to meet you.”

“Thanks for dinner, Mads,” Buck nodded and stood with Eddie, letting his boyfriend lace their fingers together to lead him to the front door. “See you tomorrow at work, Chim. Mom, Dad — see you around.” Like an angel, Eddie pulled him out of the apartment and tugged him down the hall to the elevator. Neither said anything as they waited, but as soon as the doors were shut behind them, Eddie had yanked him down into a kiss — it was passionate but not dirty. No, it was reassuring — reassuring Buck that he wasn’t alone; he had Eddie, he had a family, a family that didn’t include Philip or Margaret Buckley.

Buck only pulled away when the tell-tale ding signaled they were on the ground floor, letting Eddie lead him out to the truck. Buck opened the passenger side door for his boyfriend, kissing him again as he stepped up and into the cab. “Thank you, for everything you did tonight.”

“I’ve got your back, baby, in every circumstance,” Eddie promised, leaning down to kiss him again, their lips pressed together softly. “Now let’s get home so we can cuddle.” Buck grinned and nodded, hurrying around to get in and start the engine. The drive home was quick, Buck thoroughly distracted from his thoughts by Eddie’s low singing to his playlist. To no surprise, the lights were still on when they got home, despite it being almost time for Chris to be in bed.

“Go inside and get in the shower,” Eddie instructed gently. “I’ll get Chris into bed, and I’ll join you when I’m finished, okay?” Buck didn’t want to argue, because that sounded heavenly, so when they got inside, he did just that, with a quick goodnight to Chris as he passed his bedroom.

Standing naked under the scorching water was exactly what he needed. He let it soak his curls and run down his face, letting it wash off his parent’s shitty words and remind himself he didn’t need them — he had made his own place in the world, far far away from them.

Buck took the time while he was alone to scrub his skin and face clean. As he was rinsing all the suds off, Eddie stepped in behind him, immediately plastering the entire length of his body to Buck’s, kissing his shoulder. “How are you feeling, baby?”

“I’m good,” he answered honestly. “I mean — my parents were obviously a bit shit, but I’ve got you and Chris and Maddie and the 118.”

“Good,” Eddie turned him around to kiss him, trailing his lips all over Buck’s jaw and neck. Buck leaned back against the wall as Eddie continued his path lower, licking over his pecs, suckling on his nipples for a long moment. Even lower, his lips kissed along the curve of his stomach, down until he was taking the head of Buck’s soft dick in his mouth.

“Fuck, Eds,” Buck dropped his head back against the tile, taking a deep breath as Eddie sunk deeper. His cock twitched and filled up as Eddie bobbed his head, humming around his length. It wasn’t going to take long at all, Buck could already tell, for him to come.

Eddie swallowed around the head, looking up at him through his eyelashes as he pulled back until just the tip was in his mouth, flicking it with his tongue as drool seeped out of the corners of his mouth. “Eds,” Buck grunted, fingers twitching against the tile. “Gonna…”

Pulling back, Eddie jerked his length with his hand until Buck was spilling over his face, painting his tan skin with white. Buck panted as he stared down at his boyfriend who knew him so fucking well —- Buck loved covering Eddie with his come, claiming him in such a primal way, almost.

Eddie held his hands out, and Buck took them immediately, helping his boyfriend back to his feet. As soon as he was at his full height, Buck was yanking him into a kiss, his own come smearing between the skin of their faces, and he really couldn’t give a single shit.

“Want me to…” Buck trailed off as he wrapped his hand over Eddie’s hip, thumb brushing his pubic bone. Eddie shook his head and encircled his fingers around Buck’s wrist, pulling his hand up to his waist instead.

“No thank you, baby, that was for you,” Eddie whispered, kissing him again. “Let’s actually get clean and get to bed, yeah? We gotta get up early tomorrow for work.” Buck agreed and let Eddie lead him through the motions, washing their faces and drying them off. He pulled on his own briefs and climbed in bed while he watched Eddie dress in his usual pajamas, and when his boyfriend finally slid into bed with him, rather than opening up his arms like he normally would, Buck tucked himself into Eddie’s chest, curling himself up to get as small as he could.

Eddie didn’t say anything, just wrapped his arm around Buck and pulled him even closer, and Buck drifted off with lips pressed to his left temple.

***

The 118 Firehouse is not a place Buck ever thought he would see his parents, but there they stood, in the open bay doors, Philip’s arm around Margaret’s waist. Buck had been near the back of the building, cleaning the gym equipment when Bobby called for him, saying he had visitors.

“Mom, Dad?” Buck asked, puzzled as he approached the two. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, after you left…abruptly last night, Maddie informed us that if we wanted to be in your life, then we needed to make an effort. She said you loved being a firefighter and it wasn’t going to change. So we thought we would come down and see your station,” Margaret answered and Buck was…surprised. His parents wanted to be involved in his life? Growing up, they hadn’t given two shits no matter what he had tried — he had been in the school play, he played football, he got good grades and terrible grades, and nothing. Why did they want to try now?

“That’s…that’s nice of you,” Buck ended up saying. “Did you - did you want a tour?”

“That would be nice,” Philip nodded, and after the okay from Bobby, Buck led his parents on the most awkward firehouse tour of his life. He was used to giving these to kids, not adults in their sixties. They ended up in the loft that everyone else had vacated for the time being, but he could see them over the edge of the railing, loitering in the middle of the bay floor, not actually doing anything. Eddie didn’t even have the decency to pretend he wasn’t watching.

“You seem very at home here,” his mom commented. “You’re very comfortable.”

“Well, it is like home. I’m here almost as much as I am at my actual house,” Buck explained. “And this team is like family. We’re all very close.”

“Yes, Howard was explaining that to us last night, as well,” Margaret nodded. “You…you love being a firefighter?”

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever felt like I was good at,” he admitted. “It’s what I was meant to do.”

“It might take us some getting used to,” Philip said diplomatically. “But if it’s what you want, then we’ll support you.”

“Really?” Buck raised his eyebrows. Maddie must have really laid into them.

“Yes,” Margaret confirmed. “Could we take you out to breakfast tomorrow morning? That’s when your shift is over, right?”

“Yeah, it is. Uh, can Eddie come? We drive to work together.” His mom agreed immediately, and gave him the name of the place — it was Maddie’s favorite, so he was sure they got it from her — and he promised they’d be there at nine the next day. He walked them back downstairs and out to their car, the rest of the team pretending to do something, but Chimney had a bag of syringes in his hand while standing at the tool chest and Hen was polishing the bumper of the ambulance with lube.

“I’ll uh…I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Buck said with a stilted wave.

“Thank you for agreeing to having breakfast, Evan,” Philip clapped a hand on his shoulder before they both climbed into their rental — a sensible, gray sedan. Buck waited until it was out of the parking lot and view before heading back inside and everyone had given up their charade and were waiting for him — at least Bobby, Hen, Chim, and Eddie were.

“So…what did they say?” Chim asked anxiously, snapping his gum.

“Eddie and I are getting breakfast with them after shift tomorrow,” Buck said. “They wanted to say they’re going to support me if this is the job I want.”

“That’s it?” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “No apology for how they acted last night?”

“I don’t think they’ve ever apologized to me my entire life, shouldn’t start expecting them to now,” Buck shrugged. “They’re making an effort. I can at least do the same.”

“You don’t have to, Buck,” Hen said gently. “They’re your parents, they’re not supposed to be guilted into caring about you.”

“It’s never stopped them before,” Buck waved his hand dismissively. “It’ll be alright, guys, I swear.”

“If you’re sure. But remember we’ve got your back,” Bobby nodded at him knowingly, and Buck smiled a little.

“I know, Cap.”

“Good, Now back to work,” Bobby dismissed them all, but Eddie and Buck stayed, Eddie taking a few steps closer so he could take one of Buck’s hands in his.

“You promise you’re good?” Eddie asked quietly, stroking his thumb over Buck’s knuckles.

“As good as I can be,” Buck nodded and kissed his forehead. “I just…they’re my parents. I want them to…to love me. So I have to try.”

“I know, baby,” Eddie lifted Buck’s hand to press a soft kiss to the top of it. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Buck whispered back. “Sorry for forcing you to have breakfast with my parents.”

“Buck, what did I tell you? There’s not a lot I wouldn’t do for you; having breakfast with your parents is the least of it,” Eddie tugged him in for a quick hug before they finally split off to do their separate chores before Bobby yelled at them.

***

Buck and Eddie sat in the truck outside the cafe that they were meeting his parents at for breakfast. They had been sitting for at least fifteen minutes now, but neither were willing to go inside any earlier than necessary, even though they could see Philip and Margaret sitting at a table through the picture window.

As the clock ticked closer to nine, Buck began fidgeting in his seat. “We should probably go in.”

“We could,” Eddie agreed easily. “Or we could go home. It’s up to you.”

“Eds,” he groaned and dropped his head back. “I need you to force me to go in there.”

“Do you actually want to go in?” Eddie reached over and laced his fingers through Buck’s, getting his attention. “Like, really honestly, do you want to have breakfast with your parents?”

“Yes. I just…I need to know what they’re going to say,” Buck swallowed thickly. “But I can’t make myself get out of this truck.”

“Okay then,” Eddie pulled his hand away. “Let’s go baby, we have to go have breakfast with your parents.” He got out of the truck and started heading for the door, leaving Buck to scramble to follow him, locking the truck with fumbling fingers. Inside, they headed right for the table that Philip and Margaret were occupying,

“Mom, Dad, hi,” Buck cleared his throat. Both of them stood, Philip shaking their hands firmly while Margaret smiled tightly. “Thanks for - for inviting us.”

“We’re happy you agreed to come,” Margaret gestured for them to sit, so Buck and Eddie took the open seats across from them, and within a minute a waiter approached their table to take their drink orders (Buck did not get a mimosa though he desperately wanted one). “How was your shift?”

“It was good,” Buck smiled politely. “Most of our calls are minor medical emergencies or small fires, so nothing too big yesterday.”

“That’s good,” Margaret nodded, fiddling with the menu. Eddie slid his hand over Buck’s knee, squeezing reassuringly.

“So how long are you two in town?” Eddie asked, glancing between the pair.

“Just until tomorrow,” Philip said. “We’re planning on coming out for longer after the baby is born.”

“That’ll be nice for Maddie,” Eddie said. “My late wife loved having her mom around after Chris was born.”

“Your son…you said he’s…fourteen?” Margaret asked slowly, and Buck laid his hand over Eddie’s on his leg.

“Fifteen,” Eddie corrected gently. “And won’t let me forget it. He keeps asking when I’m going to teach him to drive and it’s gonna send me into a panic attack any day now.”

“Oh well…Maddie was the one to teach Evan to drive,” Margaret almost sounded regretful. “You should ask her for some tips.”

“I will. Me, her, and Karen, one of our coworker’s wives, all get together once a month for wine night — though of course Maddie is sticking to juice at the moment — I’ll ask her at our next one.” Buck had never been more thankful for Eddie (that wasn’t true. The real answer was every day when he woke up and saw Eddie either next to him in bed, or in the next bunk).

“You’re close with your coworkers? That must be…nice,” Philip’s voice was strained and judgemental, but he was trying.

“Yeah, we are. Hen is actually Chim - Howard’s best friend,” Buck interjected. “When they’re having their wine night, me, Chim, and Hen take the kids out.”

“Kids?” Margaret’s eyes widened a little.

“Yeah, Chris, of course, and Denny and Mara, Hen and Karen’s two,” Buck answered simply. “Though I guess soon, we’ll have a fourth to add to that.”

“I can’t wait,” Eddie said genuinely, likely for the first time that morning. He really couldn’t — as excited as Buck was to have a niece, Eddie was almost more. Buck had caught him scrolling through baby clothes online more than once.

“Do you two…do you want more children?” Margaret asked, but Buck could tell from her tone that she was only being polite — he was sure that she still believed he wasn’t responsible enough.

“Eventually,” Eddie nodded, looking over at Buck with a warm smile. “We’re not in a big rush right now, though. Chris is more than enough.”

“You’re…you’re older, right?” Margaret asked hesitantly. “Are you…are you sure that you want to have more children?”

“Maddie’s older than him,” Buck pointed out. “And Howie is even older than her. And besides, we might not have babies. We’ve talked a little about fostering — that’s how Hen and Karen ended up adopting Mara.”

“You…you wouldn’t have biological children?” his mom seemed shocked at the news.

“I don’t know,” Buck shrugged. “It’s not off the table, but surrogacy is expensive.” Thank the fucking lord, the waiter finally returned with their drinks and took their orders, and it gave them the opportunity to change the subject. Eddie asked about their jobs — his mom had retired from being a teacher, but his dad still worked at a bank. Something Buck hadn’t even known had happened in the time he had been no-contact.

Eddie managed to keep the topic on them until their food arrived, and with that, conversation lulled to small talk. After their plates were clear, Philip cleared his throat. “We just…we wanted to thank you, Evan, for agreeing to try with us. We know that we weren’t the best parents when you were growing up, but we want to try now.”

“I…I uh, that’s…” Buck fought to find the words to say but he couldn’t because he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. “I guess I’m willing to try if you are.”

“We are,” Margaret agreed. “You’re our son. We want to be in your life.”

“Okay,” Buck nodded. “We can…we can try.” Both his parents seemed pleased with that, and after they paid the bill for the entire table, they all left the restaurant together.

“Could we see you one more time before we leave? Our flight is tomorrow afternoon,” Philip asked as they stood outside Eddie’s truck. Eddie moved even closer, wrapping his arm around Buck and tightening his hand over his hip.

“Uh, yeah - yeah, sure. I won’t have a lot of time, but we could maybe meet for a coffee or something,” Buck agreed, and then bid them goodbye with plans to meet up the next day. Eddie steered Buck into the passenger seat, digging the truck’s keys from his pocket. Their drive home was quiet, Eddie’s hand never leaving Buck’s thigh.

Buck wasn’t entirely sure how to feel. His parents were finally trying, they were showing an interest in his life but…he was 27. Why had they waited so long before finally giving a shit? He barely noticed when they pulled into the driveway, but followed Eddie inside when prompted. “C’mon baby, we’re gonna get some sleep,” Eddie whispered, leading him straight to their bedroom. Buck nodded — that sounded really fucking good, actually. He was drained, emotionally and physically, and a nap with his boyfriend sounded like fucking heaven.

They both stripped, staying in just their underwear as they climbed into bed, Eddie on his back and Buck laying on top of him, head pillowed on his chest. Eddie’s legs were spread open to give Buck room, and his hands found their way into Buck’s curls. His nails scratched at his scalp, and the soothing sensation was sending Buck to sleep before he could even say goodnight.

***

Saying goodbye to his parents was easier than expected. They promised they’d call — he’d given them his number — when they landed. Buck was fairly certain they actually would too. When he got home after meeting them for coffee, Eddie was waiting for him on the couch, wearing nothing but one of Buck’s old LAFD shirts and a pair of dark red lace panties.

Buck froze in the doorway, staring at his boyfriend with a gaping mouth. “What…”

“You’ve been through a tough few days,” Eddie explained, climbing up to sit on the back of the couch, facing Buck. “Figured you could use a treat.”

“How did - how did you know?” Buck swallowed thickly, unable to take his eyes off Eddie’s exposed legs and lace covered crotch. He was obviously hard, and it was stretching the material to a snug fit, but everything was still covered.

“That you wanted to see me in lace?” Eddie smirked a little. “You’re not very subtle, baby. And also, you leave every tab open on your phone. I was looking for that butter chicken recipe you wanted to try like a week ago? You said you had it pulled up on your phone, and I found a tab with these panties in the cart.” Buck inhaled sharply and stepped closer, running his hands up Eddie’s legs to lift the shirt — they were the exact same pair he had been imagining.

“Daddy…” Buck whimpered a little.

“You wanna fuck Daddy in these panties?” Eddie asked, hooking his leg around Buck’s hip to pull him in, grinding against him slowly. They weren’t quite lined up, as the couch sat a little lower and Buck was all legs, but that didn’t matter. “Pull them to the side and just slide your cock right inside my hole?”

“Yes, Daddy, pl-please, please, I need-” Buck nodded, entire body trembling as the blood rushed to his dick.

“Daddy knows what you need,” Eddie cooed reassuringly. “Daddy knows exactly how to take care of you, don’t I?” Buck nodded again and licked his lips. “I’m gonna be so nice to you and give you a choice. Do you wanna fuck Daddy right here, over the couch? Or do you wanna fuck Daddy in bed?”

“Right here, Daddy, please,” Buck begged, hands wrapping around Eddie’s thighs to lift him slightly, giving him the room to roll their hips together.

“Okay, baby, right here,” Eddie agreed, running his hands up Buck’s chest. “Why don’t you take your clothes off for Daddy, hmm? I wanna see all of my baby.” Buck was quick to follow his order, shucking his clothes off as fast as possible, leaving them in a heap on the floor. Once he was completely naked, Eddie slid off the back of the couch and stepped forward, pressing his entire body to Buck’s.

Buck whimpered a little, mouth watering as he slid his hands over Eddie’s ass, fingers catching on the edge of the lace. “Go on, baby, touch me however you want.” Buck took the permission and used it to spin Eddie, forcing him around the corner of the couch. He shoved the other man forward, bending him over the arm of the couch, giving him the perfect view of Eddie’s ass in the panties. The lace stretched obscenely over the muscle, as if he was wearing a size too small, and the red made his skin fucking glow.

“C’mon baby,” Eddie urged, voice cracking slightly. “Touch Daddy.” It was an order and a plea, and Buck was never going to ignore Eddie when he was like this, he didn’t have it in him. He knelt behind him, using his left hand to tug the lace to the side and expose his hole — already shiny with lube and stretched.

“Daddy?” Buck’s voice was breathless.

“I opened myself up while you were gone,” Eddie panted, arms stretched out over the length of the couch, forehead resting on the cushion. “Laid on your side of the bed and thought about you, how you’re so good for me, for Daddy. Smelled your pillow and shoved my fingers inside myself.”

“Daddy,” Buck whined and leaned forward, sinking in his teeth into the inside of Eddie’s left cheek — near to his hole but not close enough to actually hurt him. Eddie gasped and pushed his hips back into the touch, fingers fanning out, stark against the navy of the couch.

“C’mon baby, Daddy can’t wait much longer. Worked myself up so much when I was getting myself ready for you,” Eddie arched his back a little, clenching his hole. Buck couldn’t wait any longer and gathered all the spit on his tongue (which was a lot, since his mouth had been watering since he walked into the house and saw Eddie like that) and spat into Eddie’s crack. Eddie groaned as Buck stood, taking his length into his hand. He rubbed the head of his cock up and down through his spit, teasing his hole.

“Baby, get your fucking dick inside me,” Eddie practically growled. “And fuck me.” Buck could never disobey him, so he ceased his movements, tip pressed to Eddie’s hole, and he sank in. He didn’t stop until he was balls deep, hands holding onto Eddie’s hips with a white-knuckle grip. He paused when he was all the way in, taking a shaky breath to keep his orgasm at bay. The lace of Eddie’s underwear was rubbing against the side of his cock, as he had let go of it, and it was driving him fucking crazy.

“Daddy, can I…” Buck trailed off, breath coming in sharp and uneven.

“Can you what, baby? You have to finish your sentence,” Eddie’s voice was a little condescending, a little cruel. Buck whined and curled his toes into the plush rug under his feet — if Eddie kept that up, he was going to come far too early.

“I want…”

“I don’t really care what you want, baby, ask me your question,” Eddie squeezed around him and Buck had to bite down on his tongue so hard he bled to keep himself from coming.

“Can I take a picture of you, Daddy? Please?” Buck managed to get out, a little blood coating his lips.

“You wanna take a picture of Daddy like this, hmm? With your cock inside me and my ass in panties?” Eddie looked at him over his shoulder. “Why do you want a picture like that, baby?” Buck knew that Eddie was playing it up, obviously — he had plenty of explicit pictures of Eddie, the both of them really; it was something that got them both hot — but using it to tease him was new.

“You’re so pretty,” Buck stumbled over his words. “Jus’ wanna keep it.” Eddie smirked and rolled his hips against Buck’s.

“I think you want a picture so you can jerk off to it later, baby,” he mused. “Is that really why you want it? You wanna stroke your big cock to pictures of me?” Buck whined and nodded — it wasn’t as if he hadn’t before. It wasn’t too often that Buck jerked off anymore, but sometimes Eddie was covering a shift that Buck wasn’t on, and 24 hours was a long time. “Such a good boy, can’t even get off without thinking about Daddy. Go ahead, take your pictures.”

Buck was quick to snatch his jeans off the floor and slide his phone from the back pocket. He framed the shot, making sure to get Eddie’s entire ass in it before snapping a few pictures. Then he turned it so he could get Eddie in the whole thing, the arch of his back and curve of his waist. He dropped the phone when he was done, not even bothering to turn the screen off.

“Alright baby, Daddy needs you to fuck me now, okay? Make it good for me, and maybe I’ll let you come too.” Eddie gasped as Buck pulled back until just the head of his cock was left inside and then fucking slammed back in. He kept up the brutal pace as long as he could, hands clenching on Eddie’s hips as he used the leverage to yank him back onto his dick too.

Eddie was moaning loudly, hands clenched in the fabric of the couch, eyes clenched shut and legs tensed where they were spread over Buck’s. They were stretched back as far as they could go while keeping his feet on the floor, but Buck wanted to see them shake.

Buck moved his hands up enough to dig his thumbs into the meat of Eddie’s ass, spreading him open more as he bullied his cock in and out. “Oh, fuck, shit shit shit, Buck, mierda,” Eddie was babbling into the couch. Buck shifted, pushing Eddie’s entire body forward just enough so that with every thrust, he was no longer just rubbing against his prostate, but hitting it and then pushing into it. Eddie’s words turned to mindless sobs, and after a minute of the new assault, Buck noticed his legs were trembling, shaking around his own.

Buck increased his pace, his own orgasm getting closer and closer as he watched Eddie’s ass jiggle with every meeting of their hips. The lace was scratching him with every thrust, and it wasn’t doing him any favors as he forced his peak back again and again.

“Daddy,” Buck gasped on a particularly rough slide in, Eddie’s hole sucking him in. “D-daddy, p-please, I’m - I’m gonna - I’m cl-close. C-Can I-I-I? P-please? W-wan-wanna-na be your g-good boy.” Eddie’s entire body went limp as he came, shaking and moaning and whimpering as Buck continued his assault on his prostate. Buck didn’t let up, licking up the blood around his mouth, just waiting. “D-Daddy!”

“Come,” the word was barely audible, but it was enough, and Buck shoved in as deep as he could as he spilled inside his boyfriend, come seeping out around his girth as he began to come down from his high.

Neither moved for a long while, but eventually Eddie pushed himself up on weak arms, to which Buck immediately moved to help support him, arms snaking around his waist. “I love you,” he whispered, lips pressed to Eddie’s shoulder.

“I love you too, mi vida. But you gotta carry me to the shower, my legs don’t work.” Buck laughed, but carefully slid his length out and turned Eddie until he could lift him in a bridal carry, moving down the hall to the bathroom, kicking it shut behind him as Eddie whispered in his ear.