Chapter Text
As soon as Buck enters Bobby and Athena’s living room, he has an armful of Christopher Diaz.
“My favourite person ever!” Buck exclaims, pulling Christopher off the ground as he hugs them since it never fails to make him laugh. “I missed you all day.”
Christopher levels Buck with a look. “Buck, I was at school.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Buck says, placing him back down on the ground and only letting go when he’s sure the boy is balanced. “Still missed you.”
The nine year old grins at him. “I missed you too.”
“Hey, boys,” Athena calls out, a platter with cheese and crackers in her hands. “Just in time, we were moving the party outside.” Something fond sparkles in her eyes when she sees Buck glancing around. “Your girl is being held by her Uncle Chimney right now.”
“Oh God, he’s going to tell her so many terrible things,” Buck jokes, following Athena outside, Eddie a step behind them as he pulls away from his own hug with Christopher.
Standing between Karen and Maddie, Chimney has Jasmine bundled in his arms. It looks like he’s talking to her too, with a wide grin on his face. Though the 118 had briefly seen the baby before, now they’re getting to meet her under better circumstances. He’s so glad that Hen and Karen are fostering her.
“...and I’m going to buy you a million toys,” Chimney is saying, voice high pitched and slow, “and I’m going to make sure you watch all the iconic movies that your Dada and Auntie are too uncultured to know—”
“Trash talking me to my own baby?” Buck asks, voice light as all their heads turn to look at him. It still feels a little weird to call Jasmine his kid, but not a bad weird. Just new.
Her birthmark is so much darker now and Buck is stricken suddenly by how much it resembles his. It’s shaped a little differently, but the placement is the same.
Chimney shrugs with a smile. “Haven’t told any lies.”
“Yeah, ‘cause you can’t lie,” Karen says with a laugh, patting Chimney on the shoulder.
Letting out a sigh, Chimney lifts Jasmine from off his hip. “Alright, time to see your Dada,” he says, holding her towards Buck. “That’s one great kid you have there.”
“Yeah, well,” Buck begins, starting to frown as he pulls Jasmine close. She immediately reaches one of her hands up to rest it on his cheek, which makes his lips twitch briefly. “Not like I have anything to do with that.”
Pursing her lips, Karen reaches out to place a hand on Buck’s shoulder. “Wells doesn’t either,” she whispers, eyeing Jasmine like she doesn’t even want to speak about her biological mother in front of her. “‘Thena will tell you, but she’s collected evidence that suggests Wells rarely ever spent time with Jaz. You have a strong case and soon you won’t be able to say things like that.”
“She’s right.” To Buck’s left, Eddie walks up, smiling at Jasmine who reaches out a hand when she sees the other man. Like he has both other times seeing the baby, Eddie offers her his under finger and she wraps her fist around it. “You, Evan Buckley, are going to be an amazing father. You already are one.”
Letting in a shaky breath, Buck shrugs one shoulder. “I hope so.”
Eyebrows pulling in the middle, Maddie reaches out a foot to hit it against Buck’s shin. “Evan, you’re so good with kids. Look at how much Christopher worships you. You know how to talk to kids, how to make them laugh, and feel heard because you know how you wish our parents had been.”
The others standing with the Buckley siblings, fidget a little awkwardly the way most people do when they mention their parents. None of them have met Margaret or Phillip Buckley. They’ve asked about them here and there, especially whenever Buck has been in the hospital, but after a few bad stories they heard, they stopped.
Christopher, however, has yet to get the hint— “What were your parents like, Buck?” he asks.
Beside him, Denny stands with his hands on his hips. “I thought Bobby and Athena were your parents.”
“Oh, um, well…” Buck trails off, unsure of how to explain.
“You know how Mama and I adopted you?” Karen asks. Denny nods with a smile. “It’s a little like that. Buck grew up with his parents, but when he moved to LA he met Bobby and Athena, and they have become parents to him as well.”
Buck thinks he’s off the hook but then— “Oh, so what were they like?” Denny asks, remembering Chrisotpher’s original inquiry.
“They just… weren’t super warm or…” Buck smiles awkwardly, holding Jasmine tighter when she wraps her arms around his neck. It’s like she knows he needs someone to comfort him. “They weren’t like your Mamas and we didn’t get along very well.”
Clapping her hands together with a smile, Karen gestures over at the table a little ways away that Bobby and Athena had been putting food on. “Kids, why don’t I help you get some snacks while we wait for the burgers to be ready?” She gives Buck a kind look before walking away with Denny and Christopher.
“Thank goodness,” Buck says, smiling at Jasmine as she starts to babble at him, trying to form words. “I missed you too, Jaz.”
Eddie leans over Buck’s shoulder. “Not as much as me,” he tells the little girl who just looks back and forth between both men, smiling. “Has she spoken yet?”
Hen who was walking up to them shakes her head, holding a glass of wine in one hand. “We point to pictures of Buck and say ‘Dada’, she’s been trying to sound it out, but hasn’t yet.”
“Buck said his first word on his first birthday,” Maddie says, smiling at her brother. “He said Maddie. I was so proud. I was playing with him and he just said it. For weeks I had been trying to get him to, but he didn’t, so I gave up for a little bit. Then, out of nowhere, he smiled at me, reaching his arms up and said my name. Wish I had it on video, he was adorable.”
Rolling his eyes as a blush creeps up his neck, Buck gives Maddie a look. “I was not.”
“You were,” Maddie says, holding up a hand before Buck can disagree again. “Don’t you dare argue with me because Jasmine looks like your twin.”
“Maddie is right, you don’t want to do that.” Eddie laughs. “So, let’s just all agree that Jasmine is gorgeous.”
Swallowing thickly, Buck pointedly doesn’t make eye contact with Eddie. Because what the heck that kind of sounded like he was saying Buck is gorgeous too.
Which probably means nothing.
~
Bobby will not let go of Jasmine.
He and Athena have been talking to her for an hour straight now, admiring the way she smiles and giggles. It makes something in his stomach settle, seeing in person what kind of grandparents they’re going to be to his kid.
“I know I already said this but Jasmine is so beautiful,” Maddie tells him, hooking her arm around his, and leaning her head on his shoulder. “She looks so much like you as a baby.”
“Every day I see her, her birthmark gets darker,” Buck says, unable to keep the smile off his face. “You think she wants to be just like me?”
Letting out a loud laugh at that, Maddie rolls her eyes. “Oh, of course. Just call her Jasmine Mini Buck Buckley.”
“Well, Christopher is determined to keep calling her Baby Buck,” he comments as he watches the child make his way over to Bobby and Athena, May close behind. Before Jasmine’s grandparents decided to keep her all to themselves, May had been obsessing over the baby. She even called herself ‘Aunt May’ which definitely did not make Buck tear up. “But having her middle name be Buck and her last name Buckley would probably be too confusing.”
Chimney catches the tail end of their conversation as he carries over two glasses of wine, handing Maddie one before he settles himself into a chair beside the siblings. “Do you have a middle name picked out for her yet?” he asks before taking a sip of his drink.
“Actually, I have two,” Buck says, “her full name is; Jasmine Roberta Maddie Buckley.”
Maddie’s head whips around so fast that Buck is sure it had to hurt. Her eyes fill up with tears so fast that he’s about to ask her if she’s okay, but then she punches him in the side, and he gasps in surprise instead. Like a child, Chimney is in a fit of giggles at Buck’s confused face.
“Ow?” Buck laughs, barely having a break before Maddie is pulling him into her arms. He hugs her back just as tight, pressing a kiss to her head. “Yeah, I love you too, Mads.”
When Athena stands up, heading into the house as she picks up a call, Buck makes his way over to Bobby on the patio so he can take her spot. Bobby glances at Buck, a shine to his eyes and a wide smile on his face as he looks back at Jasmine. “She’s my new favourite Buckley, sorry, kid.”
Buck just smiles. “Don’t apologize, she’s mine too.”
“What about me!” Christopher exclaims with a giggle as he launches himself onto Buck’s laugh.
“What about you?” Buck teases, picking up the nine year old boy and holding him in his lap. “Well, you’re my favourite Diaz.”
Christopher does the overdramatic puppy pout that Eddie swears he learned from Buck. (He will neither confirm nor deny these accusations.) “Hold me like that.” Chris points at Jasmine in Bobby’s arms.
From where he’d been hanging back, Eddie leans his hip against the side of Buck’s chair. “Chris, you aren’t a baby.”
“Oh, but we can pretend,” Buck says when Eddie’s comment makes Christopher’s frown deepen into a real one. He adjusts the boy in his arms, placing his crutches to the side so he can properly hold him. As he makes sure to over exaggerate his movements, rocking the boy back and forth, Buck can’t help but wish he could have met Chris as a baby. Recently he’s always reminding them that he’s not a baby, but Buck assumes he might be feeling a little jealous now that another child is in his life. “There we go. Now you’re just like Baby Buck.”
“I wish you could be my dad too,” Christopher whispers, reaching up to grip Buck’s collar. “Sometimes… sometimes I pretend you are ‘cause…” He trails off when his eyes get stuck on something behind Buck and it’s probably for the best because the man feels close to sobbing right about now.
Glancing back, Buck sees Christopher is staring at Eddie, obviously having forgotten his father was right there. Honestly, Buck did for a moment too. He worries briefly that Eddie will be mad or offended, but he has a small smile on his face as he stares down at them both. “‘Cause?” Eddie prompts.
“‘Cause I,” Christopher continues slowly, shyly flickering his eyes at Buck before looking down. He starts to trace the lines of Buck’s neck and along his collarbone to distract himself. “I love you like a dad… is that okay?”
Opening his mouth, Buck is going to say ‘yes’ right away, but the words die in his throat when he remembers his best friend right there. Obviously he encouraged Christopher to continue and he has allowed Buck to take on a sort of parental role in the kid’s life, but they never really talked about it in detail. Buck didn’t realize that Christopher saw him that way and it makes something flutter in his chest because he sees the boy as his son.
“Of course, mi amor,” Eddie answers, leaning down to brush back Christopher’s hair. “Family isn’t just blood, remember? Bobby and Athena are like Buck’s parents. Hen and Karen are like your aunts, Denny is your cousin. Sometimes families are biologically related, but not always. You get to choose your family. Just like how you said Jaz is your baby sister.”
Buck lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding throughout Eddie’s reply. There’s a lump in his throat and tears in his eyes, so all Buck does is pull Christopher in closer.
Unfortunately the moment doesn’t last long.
“Buck?”
At the sound of his name, he raises his head. Athena is standing in the doorway, phone in one hand, and the corner of her lips turned down. “Hey, hon, can I talk to you for a second?”
Swallowing thickly, Buck nods, forcing a smile on his face as he looks back down at Christopher. “Sorry, bud, you’re going to have to grow back into a big kid again!” he exclaims, whooping loudly as he sets Christopher back on his feet. It makes the kid fall into a fit of giggles and the sound alone almost quiets Buck’s fear. He presses a kiss to the kid’s curls before he stands up.
Eddie is right behind him and Buck is glad that he doesn’t even have to ask for him to come.
Once they’re inside, Athena closes the door behind the men, briefly giving Bobby a nod when he looks over in concern. She turns to Buck as she slides her phone into her pocket. “Alright, that was the judge who’s been assigned to your case,” Athena explains. “She says since there isn’t really any evidence yet of the assault and because she doesn’t consider you to be in immediate danger, they won’t be granting you a temporary restraining order.” She reaches out to rub a hand up and down Buck’s arm. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I know it would have given you at least some peace of mind.”
Clenching his jaw, Buck shrugs one shoulder up, movements tense and jittery. “It is what it is,” he says, “at least I tried.” He fiddles with the sleeve of his shirt. “Um, is there anything else? Has the DNA come back yet?”
“Unfortunately not,” Athena replies, “but, yes, there’s a bit more. Wells has already lawyered up. I chatted with her a bit in the hospital, but she was still very out of it then. I was supposed to meet with her tomorrow, but now it won’t be until a little later.”
“So, she—” Eddie cuts himself off, scoffing in disbelief. “She’s really going to try and defend herself?”
“It seems like it.” Athena keeps her eyes trained on Buck. “I’m sorry, baby, I’d hope she’d just plead guilty, maybe take a deal so you wouldn’t have to go through a long procedure.” She raises up her other hand, index finger pointed. “But, do not let that discourage you. They have no case, Buck. You have DNA evidence, records of the appointment, and we finally got ahold of those witnesses you texted me about. It should be cut and dry and I’m sure the prosecutor assigned to your case will tell you as much too.”
Buck wraps his arms around his stomach, glancing back out through the glass doors over at Bobby who is now standing with Jasmine in his arms. “I just wish I could take her home with me.”
“I know,” Athena says, “as soon as they confirm paternity, we are going to fight to get you temporary custody. The days are going to feel like forever, but when you finally get there, you’ll realize how fast time went by. It’s already been a week since they were sent in.”
“You just gotta focus on therapy and moving in,” Eddie adds quietly. “Therapy will help you adjust to it all and when you move in we can set up the guest room.”
Athena raises an eyebrow at Eddie. “You have a guest room?”
Scratching the back of his neck with a laugh, Eddie admits, “Well, it’s sort of a storage room right now.”
~
“Te amo infinitamente, princesa. Papá y yo vamos a traerte pronto a casa,” Eddie whispers to Jasmine as he leans over Buck's shoulder to look at her. “Dulces sueños.”
“He’s right, we will,” Buck agrees softly, brushing her hair back before pressing a kiss against Jasmine’s forehead. “I love you so, so much, baby girl.”
Maddie walks up from where she’d been putting on her shoes. “Your Aunt Maddie loves you too, perfect girl.”
The moment Jasmine is out of Buck’s arms, she starts to cry, and the man’s heart breaks in two as he watches Hen and Karen leave with her. He digs the palm of his hand into his left pec, as if it could fix the ache he feels. Though he hasn’t spent much time with Jasmine, Buck can’t picture never seeing her again.
Eddie walks off to help Christopher get ready to go and Maddie leans towards Buck with a knowing smile. “He’s really good with her, huh?” she whispers.
Rolling his eyes, Buck crosses his arms over his chest. “What does that mean?”
“Just saying, he keeps referring to her as his,” she begins, “keeps saying that you guys are going to figure it out together. You’re moving in with him and — the cherry on top — while you’re waiting for his guest room to clear up, you’re sharing a bed. You guys are basically a married couple, just without the kissing and stuff.” When Buck only gives her a look, she shrugs. “You’re telling me you haven’t thought about it?”
He turns his head towards Eddie, watching him zip up Christopher’s coat, and saying something that makes the kid giggle. “Of course I have, they’re what I want,” he admits quietly. “But, he’s straight.”
“Oh really?” Maddie asks, raising an eyebrow. “And, when did he tell you this?”
Buck opens and closes his mouth a few times, but before he can answer — actually, he’s never said it — Chimney is walking up, and saying he’s ready to go. Logically Buck knows, even if Eddie ever did say he was straight, sexuality is fluid and confusing, things can change. However, life has never been that kind to Buck. Sometimes, there’s moments when Buck thinks they might be something more. When they’re parenting Christopher, spending every night together, exchanging house keys. Hell, Buck recently found out he’s Eddie’s emergency contact, and after that he added Eddie to his list. Before Eddie, Buck never had a best friend really, and earlier today, Eddie said the same. So… maybe they just don’t get the rules of friendship.
“Hey—” Eddie grins at Buck, nodding towards the door. “—ready to go home, cowboy?”
Like a flower being bathed in sunlight, Buck’s face opens up completely, eyes twinkling at Eddie. “Yeah. Let's go home.”