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Buck had had custody of Amelia for two months now and is no closer to get a new apartment than he was when he first got her.
“Are you sure that there are no two bedroom units? I’ve got a social service check in and they’re going to take my kid from me if I don’t move soon.” Buck is stressed. He’s been baking all day, trying to get somewhere with this apartment situation.
“I’m sorry Mr. Buckley,” Thomas, the building manager sighs. “We still don’t have any two bedrooms.”
Buck wants to cry. He’s finally got Amelia settled and in a good place after losing her mom, and he’s going to lose her because real estate in Los Angeles is awful.
“We do, however, have a three bedroom. It’s is a bit pricier than what you’re currently paying.”
“How much more?”
“Twelve hundred more a month.” Buck drops his spatula and brownie batter splatters everywhere.
Buck stares at the phone for a long moment, Thomas’s words replaying in his head. Twelve hundred more a month. It’s a blow, but as he runs the numbers in his head, he realizes… he can just barely swing it. The thought is both a relief and a new source of anxiety.
It’s going to be tight—really tight. He’ll have to cut back on just about everything. No takeout. No new clothes for himself. No little treats for Amelia. Every cent will have to count. But it’s better than the alternative.
Buck looks over at Amelia again. She’s still coloring, her tongue poking out slightly in concentration. She looks so peaceful, so settled. She’s come so far in the last two months, and the thought of uprooting her—or worse, losing her—makes his chest tighten.
“Alright,” he mutters to himself. “We can do this. We have to do this.”
He picks up the phone and dials Thomas back before he can overthink it.
“Mr. Buckley?” Thomas answers after the first ring, sounding a bit surprised.
“Yeah,” Buck says, his voice steadier than he feels. “I’ll take the three-bedroom. I’ll figure out the rest.”
There’s a pause, and Buck can almost hear Thomas’s relief. “That’s great to hear, Mr. Buckley. I’ll start the paperwork right away. You can come by the office tomorrow to sign the lease.”
“Thanks,” Buck says, hanging up before he can second-guess himself.
He leans against the counter, exhaling slowly. He did it. It’s going to be hard, but Amelia will have the space she needs.
“Buck, what’s wrong?” Amelia asks, looking up from her drawing.
Buck forces a smile and kneels down to her level. “Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart. I just found us a new place to live. It’s going to be bigger, and you’ll even get your own room!”
Amelia’s eyes widen. “My own room? Really?”
“Really,” Buck says, his smile softening into something real.
She launches herself into his arms, giggling. “Thank you!”
Buck hugs her tight, feeling a flicker of hope for the first time in days. It’ll be tough, but as long as he has Amelia, he knows it’ll be worth it.
That night, as Amelia sleeps in her bed in the corner of the living room, Buck sits at the table with a notepad, sketching out a new budget. He lists every expense and every corner he can cut. No more coffee runs. No more impulse buys at the grocery store. It’s overwhelming, but as he looks at Amelia’s peaceful face, he knows he can do it.
“This is for her,” he whispers to himself. “We’ll make it work.”
“Uh oh, why so blue?” Chimney asks as Buck walks into the station lounge and plops himself down on the couch with a dramatic sigh.
“I had to skip my Wednesday bagel and latte this morning,” Buck says, letting his head fall back against the couch. He closes his eyes like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
“The same Wednesday bagel and latte you’ve gotten every Wednesday since you were a Probie?” Hen puts her book down, instantly intrigued. “Why on earth would you do that?”
“Are you trying to jinx us? Straying from your routine like that?” Chimney exclaims, throwing his arms up as if the universe has already cursed them.
“It’s not like I wanted to skip it,” Buck groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “My rent is going up twelve hundred dollars.”
“What?” Chin and Hem gasp in unison.
“Your tiny little loft is going to be three thousand a month?” Chimney asks, already pulling out his phone—probably to text Maddie.
“No,” Buck says, sitting up. “I’m moving to another unit. They didn’t have any two-bedrooms available, so I’m having to get a three-bedroom.”
Hen’s eyes widen. “Wait, a three-bedroom? You’re going to be paying that much alone?”
Buck shrugs. “I transferred the lease this morning before coming here. It is what it is.”
Hen leans forward, concern etched into her face. “But can you, I mean… are you going to be able to afford that?”
“I’m going to have to afford it,” Buck says, a hint of resignation in his voice. “Hence, no more Wednesday bagels and lattes. Sacrifices, right?”
The tones go off, interrupting the conversation. All three of them groan.
“If this is a cursed call,” Chimney mutters as they head for the rigs, “I’m blaming you, Buckley.”
And well… Universe: 1000. Buck: 0.
They pull up to the scene, and everyone is instantly stunned.
If they thought the bees were bad, this was easily ten times worse.
“S-snakes?” Eddie says, poking his head out from behind Buck, his hands clutching his turnout gear like a lifeline. “Why is the highway full of snakes?”
“They’re not venomous,” says a man in a park ranger uniform, striding over to them as if this were perfectly normal. “We were relocating them to another park to help with a rodent infestation.”
“Poisonous or not,” Eddie mumbles into Buck’s shoulder, “a snake is still a snake.”
Buck can’t help but laugh. “Aww, poor baby,” he teases. “Do you need your big strong boyfriend to protect you from the big, bad, innocent snakes?”
“My big strong boyfriend is going to be my big strong ex if he doesn’t shut up,” Eddie snaps, glaring at him.
Chimney groans, surveying the scene. “So, what? Are we just supposed to clean up the snakes? That’s not really in our job description.”
“Uh, no,” the ranger replies. “There’s a driver over there complaining of chest pains. I called once I noticed him while trying to gather the snakes back together.”
Bobby, who had been quietly observing, finally speaks up. “How exactly did this happen?”
“Oh,” the ranger says casually, “my buddy went into a sneezing fit while driving the truck.”
He says it so matter-of-factly that the team can only stare at him in disbelief.
“A sneezing fit?” Chimney repeats. “And that’s how we ended up with a highway full of snakes?”
“Exactly,” the ranger confirms, nodding as though it’s the most reasonable explanation in the world.
Hem shakes her head and walks past Buck, muttering under her breath, “Buck, I will personally pay for your Wednesday bagels and lattes if it stops stuff like this from happening.”
Buck chuckles as he watches her head toward the driver.
Eddie, still firmly planted behind Buck, gestures at Hen. “What’s she talking about?”
Buck turns to him, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Oh, nothing. Just the power of routine and how I may or may not have cursed us by skipping my bagel this morning.”
Eddie’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, I got that. But why did you skip it?”
Before Buck can respond, Bobby claps his hands, probably ready to get this call over with “Alright, enough. Buck, Chimney, help the ranger with the snakes. Hen, check on the driver. Eddie, you’re with me. Let’s get this highway cleared before rush hour turns into total chaos.”
As the team disperses, Eddie gives Buck one last pointed look.
“If I see a single snake slither my way-.”
Buck smirks, grabbing his gloves. “Noted, Princess.”
The calls only got weirder from there. A grown man with his head stuck on the railing on his stairs, a kid swallowed his pet hermit crab, a sex swing gone wrong ...yeah that wasn’t fun. The entire time, everyone grew more and more annoyed at Buck for cursing them.
Everyone except for Eddie who still doesn’t believe in curses or hexes or whatever.
“Okay, have a good night everyone.” Bobby says, retreating towards his office to write up the last couple of calls while everyone else gets ready to go home.
“Buck,” Chin starts, one shoe on and one lost in molasses at the last call. “For the love of God, do not skip your Wednesday bagel and latte ever again!”
Buck just nods.
“Hey,” Eddie slides up beside Buck and takes his hand in his. “Why don’t you go pick up Mia and come over?”
It’s phrased as a question but Buck knows he’s not really asking, Eddie is telling him to come over.
“Want me to pick up something to eat?”
“No, I’ve got it.”
Buck nods and gets in his jeep, peeling off in the opposite direction of Eddie towards his loft. He really needs to start packing everything up and moving, he was only given two weeks to get out of his current apartment.
Buck grips the steering wheel as he drives to pick up Amelia, the earlier conversation with Eddie replaying in his mind. The way Eddie had casually taken his hand, the warmth in his voice when he’d invited him over—it all made Buck’s chest ache in the best way. He didn’t just want to go over for dinner tonight. He wanted every night to be like this, but asking for that? It felt huge, and terrifying, and… right.
He pulls up to Maddie’s house, where Amelia has been spending the day because Kai was sick. When he steps inside, Maddie is already at the door with Amelia bundled up in her little coat, her eyes lighting up when she sees him.
“Buck!” she squeals, reaching for him with her chubby hands.
Buck scoops her up, kissing her cheek. “Hey, peanut. Did you have fun with Maddie and Jee?”
“She was an angel,” Maddie says, though the smudge of crayon on her cheek suggests otherwise. She glances at Buck with a knowing smile. “Long shift?”
“You have no idea,” Buck mutters, adjusting Amelia on his hip. “Thanks for picking her up from school.”
“Anytime,” Maddie says. Her smile softens. “You okay? You’ve got that ‘Buck overthinking everything’ look.”
Buck hesitates, bouncing Amelia gently as he tries to find the right words. “I’ve got a new apartment lined up. Three bedrooms. Perfect for me and Amelia. But…” He pauses, biting his lip. “I want Eddie and Christopher to move in too. I just don’t know how to ask.”
Maddie raises an eyebrow, her smile widening. “You’ve already got the hard part figured out—you know what you want. Now you just have to tell him.”
“Easier said than done,” Buck mutters. “Asking people to move in hasn’t exactly worked out for me before.”
Maddie places a hand on his arm. “Buck, Eddie loves you. And you know Chris does too. Just talk to him. The worst he can say is no.”
Buck nods, though the thought of Eddie saying no makes his stomach twist. “Yeah. I’ll figure it out.”
With Amelia settled in her car seat, Buck drives to Eddie’s house, his nerves growing with each passing block. By the time he pulls into the driveway, his palms are sweaty, and his heart feels like it’s about to pound out of his chest.
Eddie meets him at the door, a soft smile on his face. “Hey. Dinner’s almost ready.”
“Hey,” Buck says, stepping inside and setting Amelia down. She immediately runs off in search of Christopher, her tiny giggles echoing down the hall.
“So, are you going to tell me the reason you skipped your Wednesday breakfast, or are you going to make me worry that you’re sick or something?” Eddie starts the conversation that’s been hanging over them all day.
“I found a new apartment,” he blurts out, the words tumbling out faster than he intended. “But it’s a bit more than what I’m paying now.”
Eddie pauses, setting down the dish he’s holding. “How much is ‘a bit’ more?”
“It’s nice,” Buck says, his voice faltering. “Really nice. It’s in the same building, actually. Just a bigger unit—three bedrooms, a little more space for Amelia. It’s perfect. It’s just…twelve hundred more than I’m already playing.”
Eddie’s brows lift in surprise. “Three bedrooms? That’s a lot of space for just you and Amelia. Can you even afford that?”
Buck swallows hard, his heart pounding. “Yeah, it’s the only option though. They still don’t have any two bedrooms available and nowhere else is going to be nearly as cheap. I can afford it, if I stick to a strict budget.”
This is it, he should just ask Eddie and Chris to move in with him. Only, the last two times he’d asked someone to move in with him had ended horribly and he can’t ruin this. He can’t lose Eddie.
He glances up at Eddie, trying to gauge his reaction. “I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t just be us.”
Eddie’s eyes widen slightly, but he doesn’t interrupt, waiting for Buck to continue.
“I was thinking… you and Chris are already such a big part of my life. And Amelia loves you guys. I just—” Buck runs a hand through his hair, frustrated at his inability to articulate what he feels. “I want us to be together. Not just for dinners or movie nights. I mean, really together. Living together. Like… a family.”
Eddie’s expression softens, and for a moment, Buck feels like he might actually cry. The weight of putting it all out there is almost too much, and he braces himself for whatever comes next.
Eddie steps closer, his voice quiet but steady. “You want us to move in with you?”
Buck nods, his throat tight. “Yeah. But only if it’s what you want too. I don’t want to push you into anything. I just… I love you, Eddie. I love Chris. And I think we could make something amazing together.”
Eddie’s silence stretches for a moment, but then he smiles—a real, genuine smile that makes Buck’s chest ache with relief.
“I love you too,” Eddie says, his voice low but filled with emotion. “And I think… Chris and I would love that.”
Buck exhales a shaky laugh, barely able to believe what he’s hearing. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Eddie says, reaching out to squeeze Buck’s hand. “But you know Chris is going to want to pick out his own room, right?”
Buck laughs, the tension finally breaking. “He can have whichever room he wants.”
Eddie grins, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Buck’s temple. “Then I guess we’re moving.”
For the first time in weeks, Buck feels like everything is falling into place.
Moving is a lot easier said than done. There’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of decisions that have to be made. Namely, which kid is getting which room.
“But, Buck said I could pick the room I wanted!” Chris, reverting back to his eight year old self, crossed his arms over his chest in the doorway of the room he’d chosen.
“But, I want this room! There’s a monster in the other one!” Amelia says, crossing her arms over her chest, mimicking Christopher.
“How about I get rid of the monster? Then will you stay in there?” Chris debates. Buck has to give the teen credit for trying to de-escalate the situation.
“You promise to get rid of him?” Amelia asks, looking up at Chris with wide eyes.
“Yeah,” Chris says, uncrossing his arms and holding out a hand for Mia. “I promise. Now, show me this monster.”
Buck’s not crying, he’s not.
“You okay?” Eddie asks, waking through the front door carrying two boxes.
“What? Yeah, of course.” Buck says, taking the boxes from Eddie and setting them on the kitchen island.
They were only moving things from Buck’s apartment today, waiting until they had more help to get all of Eddie and Chris’ things officially moved in. Chris had brought his bed and dresser, but that’s it.
“Buck, do we have a spray bottle?” Chris asks, walking into the kitchen. “I need to make my super secret anti-monster spray.”
Buck chuckles and digs through the trash can in search of the empty Clorox bottle he’d thrown in there earlier. “Here, this should do the trick.”
“Thanks!” Chris says, taking the lid off and walking over to the sink, rinsing the bottle out and then filling it with just water.
“Chris, hurry! The monster’s gonna get my cow!” Mia screams from down the hall and Eddie looks over at Buck confused.
“Monster?”
Buck shrugs, trying to hide the smile tugging at his lips. “It’s a whole thing. I think she’s just trying to avoid the smaller room, but hey, who am I to stop a kid from believing in monsters?”
Eddie raises an eyebrow, skeptical, but a faint smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “Monsters, huh?”
“Could be worse, could be a highway full of snakes,” Buck says with a grin, following Eddie down the hallway. The sounds of frantic footsteps and Mia’s continued wails echo down the hall as they approach the bedrooms.
“I’m telling you, the monster’s gonna eat him!” Mia’s voice is high-pitched and dramatic. “And then he’ll eat me, too!”
“Is that so?” Eddie asks, raising an eyebrow. Chris is already at the door, one hand on the closet door knob, the other gripping the bottle of water like a weapon. His eyes are narrowed in determination.
“Just stay calm, Mia,” Chris says with the exaggerated confidence of a kid who’s seen one too many action movies. “I’ve got this.”
Buck leans against the doorframe, watching the two of them with an amused expression. “Alright, what’s the plan here, kid? You sure your anti-monster spray will work?”
Chris gives him a sidelong glance, his voice lowering in a mock whisper. “It’s super secret, Buck. Of course it’ll work.”
Buck and Eddie chuckle at Chris, who Buck is secretly glad isn’t too old to entertain Mia’s silliness.
Amelia, meanwhile, is sitting cross-legged on the floor by her bed, clutching her stuffed cow like it’s a lifeline. “The monster’s right there, Chris!”
Chris steps forward, spraying a little of the water in the air, then with a dramatic sweep of his hand, he walks toward the supposed “monster.”
“Take that, monster!” he announces. “Stay away from my sister’s cow.”
Mia watches with wide eyes, clearly relieved to see Chris taking charge. As the water hits the corner, she jumps up from the floor, her voice tinged with excitement. “You did it! The monster’s gone!”
Buck is frozen in place. Chris had just called Mia his sister with no hesitation.
Eddie leans in, his voice low but teasing. “So, you’re telling me all we needed was a spray bottle and some water to get rid of monsters?”
Chris shrugs, his confidence unwavering. “Monsters don’t like water. It’s a known fact.”
The room quiets, the earlier tension melting away. It’s moments like this that remind Buck how much they’ve all grown together, how much they’ve built. There may be more moving to do, more changes to face, but right now, it’s enough to just be here, with Eddie, Chris, and Mia. For once, he doesn’t feel so alone in the mess of it all.
“Alright, monster’s gone,” Chris announces, turning back to his sister. “You can move the rest of your stuff in, okay?”
Mia pouts, but nods. “Deal. But only if you promise to check for more monsters first.”
“I’ve got it covered,” Chris says, giving her a confident thumbs-up. He glances over his shoulder at Buck, then Eddie.
“Fingers crossed,” Buck says with a grin, crossing his arms as he leans back against the doorframe. “Mia, do you want to come help me unpack the kitchen?”
She nods and hops up off the floor, running past both Buck and Eddie.
“Hey, you good?” Eddie asks, stopping Buck in the hall with a hand on his waist.
“I’m good,” Buck nods. “So good.”’
“Yeah?” Eddie asks, raising his eyebrow.
“He called her his sister.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, not at all. It’s a good thing, I guess. I just-“ Buck doesn’t know the words to say to properly express how he’s feeling. “I’m feeling really overwhelmed right now. Not a bad overwhelmed, just-“
“It’s a lot of changes at once. I get it.” Eddie leans forward and kisses Buck lightly. “You’re allowed to feel your emotions, Buck. The good ones and the bad ones.”
Buck smiles, the weight of Eddie’s words grounding him in a way he hadn’t expected. It’s strange how something as simple as a kiss can clear away the fog in his head. He swallows hard, the tightness in his throat easing just a little.
“Thanks,” Buck murmurs, his voice soft.
Eddie gives him a knowing look. “You don’t have to say anything, Buck. Just take it all one step at a time. You’ve got this.”
Buck takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling with the effort. He watches Mia, busy in the kitchen, her hands moving quickly as she starts unpacking the box she insisted on having just her farm animal dishes and her aprons. There’s a lightness in her movements, a sense of belonging that feels like it’s settling into him too.
“Yeah, I think I do,” Buck finally says, feeling the weight of the moment settle into something more manageable. “I think we all do.”
Eddie nods, pressing a hand to Buck’s shoulder before stepping back. “We’re a team. And you’ve got a hell of a team behind you.”
Buck watches Eddie head toward the kitchen, his heart full in a way he didn’t quite understand but was learning to accept. The changes, the overwhelming flood of new things—family, responsibility, love—had been so much. But maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t all as overwhelming as he’d thought. Maybe it was just… life. And life, with all its mess and beauty, was something he could handle.
Taking a steadying breath, he follows Eddie into the kitchen, ready to tackle whatever comes next. For the first time in a long while, Buck feels like he might actually be home.
The door to the future feels wide open.
And for once, he’s not afraid to walk through it.