Chapter Text
“Hey, Buck, I'm leaving Chris here, I forgot about some appointments I had today. Gotta rush, I venmoed you some spending money for him. Bye, see ya later.”
Buck didn't bother rushing his shower. There was no point, he wouldn't catch Eddie up, and he didn't fancy trying in just a towel anyway.
–
Buck swung the door open to a very sheepish looking Karen, who was flanked by Denny and Nia.
“I'm so sorry, Buck. Hen has things on today, and I just got called into work, and our usual sitter is busy, so I was hoping…”
Buck shrugged. “Sure. Eddie already dropped Chris off like half an hour ago.”
“Buck was still in the shower!” Chris called gleefully from the stool he was perched on in the kitchen. “Dad didn't even say hi properly.”
Karen shook her head. “He forgot about that appointment I know you reminded him about, huh?”
Buck grinned wryly and stepped to one side to let the two kids past. “Yeah, no surprise there. I was going to take Chris out to that Pumpkin Bonanza place, I don't mind taking Denny and Nia too.”
“You are a lifesaver Buck. I'll venmo you the tickets, and some food money. Nuh-uh, don't argue.” Karen's braids swung as she shook her head a bit more forcefully. “I am not taking your willingness to put up with my childcare emergencies for granted.”
And with that she was off. Buck sighed. “Alright, who wants pancakes before we go?”
–
“Hey, Athena, you're on speaker and I have a car full of kids,” Buck said in warning. Athena's deep sigh answered him.
“I don't suppose you could swing by and grab Harry as well? Bobby’s got a meeting with the brass, and it overlaps with my shift today.”
The three kids already in the car visibly perked up at the thought of Harry joining them. Buck rolled his eyes.
“I think I might be facing a mutiny if I say no. We're going to Pumpkin Bonanza, Harry's welcome to join us.”
It would be a squeeze in the back, especially with Nia's car seat, but they'd fit.
“You're a star, Buckaroo. I'll send you some money.”
Buck kept his mouth shut. Athena would be even less impressed than Karen if he tried to refuse the totally unnecessary payment.
–
Buck slipped his card back into his wallet and drew the four kids off to the side just past the ticket booth, fastening the entry bands around each wrist.
“One last reminder of the rules, guys. We stick together, make sure you can see each other and me at all times. Do not turn your phones off, or put them on silent or do not disturb. Don’t go anywhere with strangers. If one person needs the restroom, everyone goes to the restroom. Lunch will include carbs and protein, not just sugar. You wash your hands after touching any of the animals. If you want a pumpkin it has to be one you can carry yourself, because I am not carrying five child-sized pumpkins. Or five oversized plushies, for that matter. And if you’re told you’re not big enough for something, I am not overriding that.”
“And don’t throw anything at the crows,” Denny chirped. Buck gave him a sideways glance. “Mama told me about that incident.”
Buck groaned. Of course she did, that was a relatively tame one. Buck stood up and bundled the four kids together, pulling out his phone. “Look at me and smile.”
One ‘what my kids look like today’ photo taken, and Buck grinned. “So, what do you want to do first?”
“Tractor ride,” was the unanimous verdict after some muttering. Buck rolled his eyes. Of course it was. He shooed the kids off, shouting out a reminder to the boys not to run too far ahead of him, and he scooped up Nia and held her on his hip when she was left behind.
–
“Which one’s yours?” a mom asked, as Buck leaned on the wooden fence that surrounded the play area. Buck grinned and shook his head.
He looked around and saw Nia playing in the sandpit with a couple of other girls. “That little girl there, and…” another look found the boys at the very top of one of the wooden structures, “those three boys up there.”
“Oh. They’re, erm…”
Not like him. Buck was well aware of that. He’d been aware of that from the very first time he’d taken any of them other than Christopher out for any reason. Even here, in progressive LA, there were judgemental looks on seeing a white man accompanied by black kids. Not as bad as it would have been back in Hershey, Buck was sure of that, but he was well aware that there were judgements made about why Harry, Denny, and Nia looked nothing like him.
“My coworkers all had childcare emergencies,” Buck said blithely. “I don’t mind being Uncle Buck for the day. It’s good practice for when my nibling is born.”
The woman’s demeanour softened slightly. Buck turned his shoulder slightly anyway. He wasn’t in the mood to entertain people who made snap judgements about situations that didn’t concern them.
“Uncle Buck!” Nia shouted. Buck’s eyes snapped back to her. A couple of older girls had approached the sandpit and proceeded to destroy the castles that the kids playing there had so studiously built. Buck put a hand on the fence and used it to boost himself over, crossing the space between him and Nia in just a few steps and scooping her up onto his hip just as she started to cry in earnest.
He didn’t quite know what expression was on his face, but it was enough to make the two bullies quail and run off elsewhere. The boys were there just a few seconds later, their rush to Nia’s defence slowed by the need to help Chris down off the play structure.
“Shall we go get ice creams?” Buck offered, hoping it would dry Nia’s tears. The young girl’s lip wobbled for a few seconds more, and then she nodded with a final great sniffle. The boys also looked pleased at the prospect, and Buck led them out of the play area. By the gate, because there was no way he was hopping the fence with Nia in his arms.
–
Buck rested his arms on the steering wheel while the lights were on red, and let out a deep sigh. He loved these four kids, he really did, but all four of them at once with no other adult to help corral them was probably a bit too much. They’d hit the sugar crash almost as soon as Buck got them back to the Jeep, and all four had been asleep since before he’d managed to get out of the parking lot.
His phone rang again, this time with Bobby’s name on the caller ID. He accepted it.
“Hey, Bobby. I’m heading to yours first to drop Harry off, unless you’d prefer I took him to Michael.”
“No, no, come to mine. Michael’s here anyway. Actually, everyone is. Figured you’d want some adult company and proper food after today.”
Buck snorted. “Ya think. It was probably a bit…” Buck hesitated. “A bit overwhelming, for all of us. But I had fun, and I’m pretty certain they did too. I’m five minutes out from your place, so talk to you in a few.”
“Drive safe, Buck.”
“Hey, Cap, what do you think my chances are of getting Athena, Karen, or Eddie to take the leftover money back?”
Bobby chuckled. “Tell you what, you can be Captain for a shift for each of them that you win that argument with.”
Translation: not a chance in hell. Oh well.