Chapter Text
Buck stood on Bobby and Athena’s front porch with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders curled slightly as if bracing for impact. He had been here hundreds of times before, family dinners, post shift hangouts, movie nights with May and Harry, family BBQs, but it had never felt like this.
Never this heavy. Never this fragile.
He hadn't been here since the night Bobby had admitted to holding him back, and that moment lead to the lawsuit. He hadn't spoken to anyone since then, until he dropped the lawsuit, and sent the group chat a long apology message, and then Bobby called later that day and said can you come over, so that's why he is here.
His stomach twisted, nerves crackling under his skin. He reminded himself he had dropped the lawsuit. He had apologized. He had tried to make things right. And yet the fear lingered.
What if it’s too late?
He exhaled slowly.
Before he could talk himself into turning around, the door swung open.
Athena filled the frame, wearing her off duty hoodie and a soft expression. She didn’t hesitate, didn’t even blink before pulling him into a hug so tight it nearly knocked the breath from him.
“Hi, Buckaroo,” she murmured into his shoulder.
Buck stiffened for a split second then melted, arms wrapping around her without thinking. He hadn’t realized how much he needed someone to hold him until she did.
“Hi,” he whispered back, voice rough.
Athena pulled away just enough to cup his jaw, her thumb brushing it. Her eyes softened even more.
“Come on inside,” she said gently. “Everyone’s waiting.”
Buck’s heart tripped. “Everyone?”
She nodded. “Everyone.”
She stepped back, giving him room to enter, and he took a breath before stepping through the doorway.
The living room was full.
Not just Bobby and Athena.
Not just Hen and Chim.
Not just Maddie.
Not just Eddie.
All of them.
All at once.
All looking at him.
For a second, his feet wouldn’t move. He felt like a kid again, caught between wanting to run forward and wanting to hide behind the nearest piece of furniture.
Bobby stood up first.
“Hey, Buck,” he said softly.
Buck swallowed. “Hey, Bobby.” His voice cracked on the last word.
Bobby exchanged a glance with Athena, then walked forward, slowly, carefully like approaching a frightened animal. When he reached Buck, he didn’t speak at first. Just stood there, searching his face.
Then he said, “I’m sorry.”
Buck’s breath hitched.
Bobby’s voice stayed steady, but his eyes shone. “I’m sorry for holding you back. For not listening to you the way I should have. For letting things get so far. For lying to you about being the reason. I never wanted you to feel alone. Never.”
The room became impossibly quiet.
Buck tried to blink away the sting behind his eyes. “Bobby, I...”
Bobby shook his head gently. “Let me say this.”
He swallowed. “I should have listen to you better. I should have been there for you instead of leaving you to feel… unheard. You didn’t deserve that. When you said you are ready, and when you got cleared, I should have taken your word for it, left my fears aside.”
Buck’s throat tightened painfully. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Any of you. I just… I was hurting, I wanted my job back and I was ready.”
“We know,” Hen murmured from the couch. Her voice was soft and full of understanding. “And no one here is mad at you. Not anymore.”
Chim nodded beside her. “Yeah, man. We were mad, but then we actually looked at your side and realised you had every right to fight. You should have been back weeks ago."
Buck’s breath wobbled. His gaze dropped to the floor. “I should have talked to you. I shouldn’t have gone straight to the lawsuit. I messed everything up.”
Athena stepped beside Bobby, her voice firm but warm. “No, you reacted out of pain, frustration. That doesn’t make you a bad person. Bobby should not have held you back.”
He pressed a hand to his face, wiping away a tear he hadn’t noticed escaping. “I just… thank you for saying that...I didn’t want to lose you all, and I just wanted my job back...”
“You couldn’t lose us,” Bobby said. “You won’t ever.” he paused "...and you have been cleared now to return to work."
Buck’s chest clenched. He looked up slowly eyes searching each face.
Hen gave him a small nod of reassurance.
Chim smiled sadly.
Athena’s gaze radiated warmth.
Bobby looked like he was barely holding back tears.
And then,
Eddie.
Eddie sat forward on the edge of his seat, elbows on his knees, eyes locked on Buck. His expression wasn’t angry. Or hurt. Or distant.
It was soft. Warm. Full of something Buck didn’t dare name aloud yet.
“Hey,” Eddie said gently.
Something in Buck finally cracked.
He sniffed, wiping his cheek. “Hey.”
Before the moment could settle, Maddie stood abruptly, hands twisting in her sleeves.
“Buck,” she breathed, voice already trembling. “I am so, so sorry.”
His heart plummeted. “Maddie no. You didn’t do anything.”
“I did,” she insisted. “I shut you out for weeks. I didn’t return calls. I didn’t check in. I knew you were hurting and I… I wasn’t there.”
He shook his head rapidly. “You got put in the middle. I get it.”
Her voice cracked. “I got stood down at work, Buck. I made a mistake and I, I didn’t know how to deal with it, I made a bad choice. And I’m so sorry that my silence made you think it was about you.”
He froze.
“Oh,” he whispered. “Maddie… no. No, I thought you were avoiding me because of the lawsuit.”
She moved forward, cupping his face. “It was never because of that.”
Her thumb brushed his cheekbone.
“I love you. Always.”
Buck’s eyes blurred again. “I love you too.”
She hugged him, tight and shaking. Buck wrapped his arms around her, grounding her as much as himself.
When she pulled back, Hen, Chim, and even Bobby moved in, surrounding him in a circle of warmth. Gentle touches. Soft words. Reassurance.
A family hug.
Something Buck had dreamed of since childhood.
He let out a shaky breath, absorbing it all.
When the group finally stepped back, Eddie rose from the couch and walked toward him.
“Buck,” he said quietly.
Buck looked up, heart thudding.
Eddie’s voice softened to a whisper.
“Come over after this? Chris wants to see you. And… I want to talk. Really talk.”
Buck breathed in sharply.
Hope flickered brightly in his chest.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I’d like that.”
Eddie smiled small, warm, real.
And since this whole thing started, Buck felt like he wasn’t drowning anymore.
He felt like everything was going to be okay.