Chapter Text
The night air was cool, the kind that carried a faint bite at the edges, but Bobby didn’t mind. He walked side by side with Athena, their hands brushing together every so often, both of them enjoying a rare evening without interruptions—no calls, no emergencies, no one asking for them to fix something. Just peace.
“I forgot how nice it is to walk without the radio glued to my ear,” Athena said with a soft laugh, tilting her head toward Bobby.
“Mm,” Bobby hummed, squeezing her hand gently. “Peace and quiet. Don’t get too used to it though. You know how our lives go.”
Athena smirked, about to tease him when something caught her eye. She slowed, her sharp gaze narrowing toward the row of benches scattered along the path. Someone was there. Curled up. Still.
“Bobby,” she murmured, tugging lightly at his sleeve.
He followed her line of sight and frowned. There was a figure on the bench, body huddled beneath a thin, worn-looking blanket. At first glance, just another person sleeping rough in the park—but Athena was already moving closer, something uneasy in her stride.
As they drew near, the faint lamplight fell across familiar features. Blond hair mussed. A strong jaw slackened in sleep.
“Bobby…” Athena’s voice was sharper now, urgent.
Bobby’s stomach dropped. “Oh my God.”
It was Buck.
Evan Buckley. His firefighter. His family. His kid, in every sense of the word but blood.
Buck was asleep—or maybe passed out—on a cold wooden bench in the middle of the park. His jacket, bunched beneath his head, acted as a poor excuse for a pillow. The thin blanket covering his body barely reached his knees, doing nothing against the chill of the night. His shoes were kicked off, set neatly beside the bench, as if this was… normal. As if this was home.
Bobby froze for a second, shock pinning him in place. Then instinct kicked in. He crossed the distance quickly, crouching down beside the bench. “Buck?” he called softly, not wanting to startle him.
Buck stirred faintly, eyelids fluttering but not opening fully. A quiet sound escaped him, groggy and disoriented.
Athena moved to the other side, her heart squeezing at the sight. “What in the world is he doing out here like this?” she whispered, her voice low but filled with worry.
“Something’s wrong,” Bobby muttered, his throat tight.
He reached out, laying a gentle hand on Buck’s shoulder. “Buck, it’s me. Bobby. Wake up, son.”
At that, Buck’s eyes blinked open slowly. Confusion clouded them as he squinted up at Bobby’s face, then Athena’s, as though he wasn’t sure he was awake.
“Cap?” His voice was hoarse, barely more than a rasp. “What’re you… doing here?”
Bobby swallowed hard at the question. At the fact that Buck didn’t even ask why he was there, on a park bench at midnight.
“We should be asking you that,” Athena said firmly, but her voice softened as she knelt a little closer. “Why are you sleeping out here, Buck?”
Buck’s gaze drifted away, shame flickering across his face. He shifted under the thin blanket, as though trying to burrow deeper. “’S fine. Just… needed a place to crash.”
Bobby felt his chest ache. “This isn’t fine.” He took in the pallor of Buck’s skin, the faint tremble in his hands, the exhaustion etched into every line of his face. This wasn’t just a rough night. This was something deeper, something Buck hadn’t told them.
Athena and Bobby exchanged a look over Buck’s head—a look that spoke volumes. Neither of them was going to let this go.
“Alright,” Bobby said finally, his voice calm but steady. “You’re coming with us. Tonight. No arguments.”
Buck opened his mouth, maybe to protest, maybe to deflect, but the words never came. His eyes softened, defeat written in them, and instead he just gave the faintest nod.
Bobby slipped an arm under his shoulder, helping him sit up carefully. Athena gathered Buck’s shoes, shaking her head as she did. She could feel the tremor in his body even from a step away.
“Come on, sweetheart,” Athena said gently. “Let’s get you somewhere warm.”
For the first time all night, Buck didn’t argue. He just leaned heavily into Bobby’s steady support, as though he finally didn’t have the strength to keep pretending.
And as they guided him away from the bench, Bobby couldn’t help but wonder—how long had Buck been like this? And how had no one noticed?