#more buckley siblings

[rcmclachlan]

Wrote this today while I should've been working (don't tattle).

Submitting it for the approval of the Fuck It Friday Society. Thanks to @epiphainie for tagging me!

+

"So? Tell me about the hot pilot."

It takes only a second to scroll through the rows of photos until he finds the one he wants to show her, but instead of handing his phone over, he takes a moment to admire it. The post has nine photos in it and this is the fourth one in—it's by far his favorite out of all the others on the account. Considering how many contenders there are, that's really saying something. 

Maddie pointedly clears her throat and Buck ducks his head with a sheepish laugh, because he knows he's being mean by keeping her waiting. If the tables were turned and she was holding out on him, he'd be ready to tackle her to get to the phone. Plus, he's already looked at the picture at least three hundred times over the last two days; it's not like he's going to miss anything. He's pretty sure he could draw it from memory. 

Nervously licking his suddenly-dry bottom lip, he slides the phone across the counter to her, and she snatches it up like a winning lottery ticket, or Golden Grahams, which she used to hide from him when they were younger because he could house an entire box in a single sitting. 

She draws in a surprised breath when she looks at the screen, and he takes it as his cue to round the island and crowd in behind her so he can peer at it from over her shoulder.

Whoever took the shot should get a Pulitzer. It was taken through the open door of a helicopter, perfectly framing the three people in the cockpit. There are two kids—a girl no more than ten years old wearing a headset and looking at the instrument panel, while the other kid has their back to the camera, showing the familiar logo of two hands holding each other on the back of their shirt—and then there's Tommy, who's half inside the opposite door and haloed by the light of the Harbor hangar, his gaze focused on whatever he's pointing at on the panel. His head is slightly turned, exposing the textbook-perfect right angle of his jawline, and his mouth is half open. But, unlike every picture where Buck looks like a dumbass with his mouth open wide enough to drive a truck through, Tommy looks handsome and competent, caught mid-explanation about manifold pressure or rotor RPMs or any of the other gauges that Buck looked up before he'd called for the Harbor tour. 

"Buck," Maddie says, stunned. She opens her mouth like she's going to say something else, but then she closes it with an audible click. 

"I know."

She spins around and smacks his arm, her grin threatening to consume her entire face. "Buck!"

"I know." He does know. He really does.

"Oh my god." Maddie turns back to the phone and swipes to see the other photos, but the only other one in the post with Tommy in it is a group shot. He stands in the back of a gaggle of kids with four of his teammates, taller than everyone else, and it's either the vivid blue of his flight suit or the magnetic force field that seems to hover around him all the time, but Buck's attention is drawn immediately to him. The first time he saw the photo, it took him a second to realize there were like twenty other people in it. 

"Oh my god," Maddie says again.

Each of Tommy's hands are on the shoulders of two kids, and he's smiling so widely that his eyes are almost closed. He looks so good. He looks like he did when he glanced up from the menu as Buck approached the table—like anyone in the world could've shown up but he was thrilled it was Buck specifically. No one had ever looked at him like that before. Like he was the correct answer.

And that's a wrap on our annual flight rescue simulation! As always, huge thanks to the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club (@labgc) for introducing us to the next generation of heroes. Can't wait to get up there with them again someday! #labgc #lafdharbor1 

He blows out a breath. "I'm such an idiot."

"You're not an idiot. There's no way you could've anticipated Eddie showing up." Maddie swipes over to Tommy's full Instagram profile and starts tapping open photos at random. When she gets to another of Buck's favorites—the one of Tommy mid-laugh, sandwiched between a man and a woman in a bar booth with trivia sheets spread out on the table in front of them—she mutters, "Good lord."

Buck looks at the man and how he's shoved up against Tommy's side, and he swallows around a familiar sour crackle in his jaw. He'd told Tommy point blank that he can get jealous, but he's a little surprised by how much he wants to reach right into the screen and rip the poor guy out of the photo with his bare hands. He shouldn't be shocked, though; he did maim his best friend for the crime of having Tommy's attention, after all. 

But that guy in the picture could've been Buck. If he hadn't been an asshole, he could've been the one sitting next to Tommy, pressed up against him and laughing, flushed with victory and good company and beer, filling out answers on the sheet and preening when Tommy turned an impressed smile on Buck for helping take their team to the final round because he knew things like what the fear of is flowers called and the world record for the longest hiccupping spree.

"I shouted to the entire restaurant that we were going to pick up hot chicks after dinner, Maddie," Buck says, and looks away from the photo where he isn't. "I might as well have paid someone to skywrite 'NO HOMO' above the Coliseum. So, yeah, I am an idiot for that."

She winces. "How'd he, uh, take that? Was he really mad?"

"Worse," he says miserably. "He was really nice."

Where his hand rests on the countertop next to her, Buck's fingers curl in to press against his palm, and the rest of his body wants to follow suit out of shame. He can't stop thinking about how quiet Tommy was after Eddie and Marisol left, how the confidence and charisma and razor-sharp wit had all grown dull and quiet from the time it took them to get up from their table and make their way to the street. 

When Tommy cut the night short, he could have been awful about it. He could have yelled. He could've called Buck a homophobe, or chewed him out for wasting Tommy's time, or sneer that Buck would be better off watching the movie from the comfort of the closet. It would've been well within his right to do any of it, and Buck had been prepared for it. 

He hadn't been prepared for Tommy to be kind.

"But it's not just that. I'm an idiot because… how did I not know? How do you miss something like this about yourself? Nine year olds are out there figuring it out with no problem, and meanwhile, I'm thirty-two and I had—I had no idea. I'm so stupid." 

He bends over and drops his head onto the counter with a painful, yet somehow satisfying thunk. 

Maddie places a hand between his shoulder blades. It's not too heavy, like she's holding him down, and it's not too light, like she doesn't know if her touch is welcome. It's just right. It always is. Even when she was a kid, she always knew how to hit the goldilocks zone when it came to comfort. His parents never came close. 

"What if it were me?" 

He tilts his head on the counter to look at the contemplative slash of her mouth. "What?"

"What if I were the one discovering this about myself?" 

The question is soft and sweet, like how their backyard in Hershey used to fill up with hundreds of dandelions in the spring and they'd spend hours picking them and blowing the clocks everywhere, but the smile on her face is the sound of their mother shouting at them to stop because she thought the dandelions were an eyesore and they were basically planting more of them to come up in the fall.

"Would you call me stupid for not figuring it out sooner? Would you say, 'Maddie, you're pushing forty, how did you miss this?'"

Offended, Buck comes off the countertop so fast he nearly gives himself whiplash. "What?! O-Of course not—"

"Then why is it okay when it's you?" She demands, voice trembling like she's physically pulling on the reins of her anger and it's fighting her, just like it did when he hitchhiked to Marysville with a group of boys and perforated both his ear drums jumping off the Rockville Bridge. "You don't get to call one of my favorite people stupid, okay? You're not. There's no time limit to these things, Buck. You just… you figure it out when you figure it out and not a second before, and I'd be saying the same thing if you were one of those nine year olds or if you were ninety."

Buck doesn't know what his face is doing, but Maddie takes one look at him, clucks her tongue in sympathy, and then wraps her arms around him. He presses into her embrace with a grateful exhale. 

Clinging to Maddie, to the quiet, endless strength of her, is nothing new, and neither is the wave of sheer wonder and disbelief that nearly knocks him on his ass because somehow she's his sister. Out of everyone in the world he could've been saddled with, he got the best of the best. He has no idea what he did in a past life to have earned a place in her current one, but it must have been amazing. 

"Thanks, Mads," he says quietly into her hair. When she first started dating Doug, she switched from the peppermint conditioner she loved to the floral stuff he preferred. Buck inhales a little and swallows tears upon getting a whiff of something sweet and minty.

She pulls back a little and pats his chest, smiling. "So, what's the plan?"

He blinks. "The plan for what?"

"For trying again," Maddie clarifies, pointedly, like she wants to call him dumb but can't because she just spent the last five minutes telling him he wasn't. "So you screwed up. Big deal. We all screw up. What are you going to do to fix it?"

"Uh, I-I don't think he's going to go for that, to be honest," Buck mutters, looking down at his phone. 

Last night, standing in Miceli's foyer and practically leaving craters in the floor where he was bouncing excitedly on his heels, he'd texted Tommy to see if he was already seated. The last message Tommy sent him reads: Head toward the back. I'm in one of the side booths on the left. You can't miss me :-) 

There hasn't been anything since.

After Tommy cheerfully knocked Buck's entire world off its axis and walked out the door with a grin and the promise of a date, Buck had paced his apartment like a caged tiger, feeling both too big and too small for his skin, jittery and restless. The fourth time he'd stopped in the middle of a room and started laughing for no reason, he conceded he might be losing his mind. He'd felt like the only thing keeping him from exploding or floating into the stratosphere was the fact he had a shift in the morning. He'd kept away from the windows just to be on the safe side. 

You like men, he'd thought giddily to himself, over and over. You are attracted to men. A man asked you out on a date and you said yes because you want to go. A man kissed you tonight and you loved it. You didn't want to stop. You want him to do it again. 

It was like he'd finally found the last missing piece to the Buck puzzle he'd been searching for as long as he could remember, and slotting it into place felt like skipping the 5.0 upgrade and going straight to a different operating system. Increased storage capacity. Longer battery life. A brand new product.

He'd swore to himself that he would be cool about it. He wouldn't be a clingy, needy mess and drive Tommy off before he was able to explore whatever this was. That lasted all of twenty minutes before he was texting Tommy with trembling thumbs to thank him for coming over and clearing the air, and then threw his phone across the room. He spent the next ten minutes fighting the urge to claw his own face off until he heard the ping of a new text message.

It said, Sorry for the delay I'm still driving. Thank YOU for your hospitality ;-)

Buck had to go stick his head in the fridge to cool down about the implications of that, but once he calmed down and unscrewed the manic grin from his face, they were off to the races. 

The only times they weren't messaging each other were between the hours of 1am and 5:30am, or if they were on shift. Although Buck didn't exactly hold to that. He found ways to sneak off a text or twenty during calls when he could, and he had the sneaking suspicion Tommy was doing the same. The photo he got of the sun setting over LA, taken through a helicopter's windshield, was kind of a giveaway.

It's been 24 hours since he last heard the text tone he'd assigned to Tommy's contact file—a sort of whuff sound that reminds him a little of rotor blades spinning—and he feels like if he doesn't hear it soon, he's going to go insane. 

This is absolutely not the first time he's fucked up a date and was ghosted afterwards, but it is the first time the subsequent radio silence has made him feel like his colon is tying itself into a square knot. And he hates it.

"So, you're just—giving up," Maddie says, incredulity turning the question into a statement of disbelief. 

He looks away from the phone and shrugs. "I'm… being respectful. It's pretty obvious he doesn't want to hear from me. I wouldn't want to hear from me."

"You don't know what he wants," Maddie points out. "He said he didn't think you were ready for this, right? Maybe he's trying to be respectful too."

He doesn't want to get his hopes up, but it sounds so plausible when she says it. Especially because Tommy hasn't been anything but even-keeled and kind and compassionate, and Buck truly doesn't think any of it is a front. If Buck reached out, he knows Tommy would respond. If Buck started texting him again and never once brought up the kiss or their disaster of a date, if he boxed up the overwhelming need to be the center of Tommy's attention and shifted things back to the safety zone of friendship, Tommy would let him. They'd be okay.

The thought of it makes Buck want to punch something. 

Maddie peers up at him with a sly tilt to her mouth, but instead of calling him on whatever she sees on his face, she simply says, "But I do think keeping this from Eddie is twisting you up a bit. Maybe you need to jump that hurdle before you can move forward."

He clicks his tongue and gives a reluctant nod, because she's right. As usual. "H-How do I tell him that I'm… you know."

"Okay," she says with a falsely bright smile and wide eyes, her tone needling. "If you can't even say it out loud, then maybe you shouldn't—"

"That I like men, Maddie, god," he whines, face hot. "You're so mean to me. Jesus, do you treat Chim like this?"

"Only when he asks really nicely," she says horrifyingly.

He sticks his fingers in his ears and starts shouting, "LA LA LA!"

Maddie cracks up, then gives his chest a conciliatory pat. Annoyed, he shrugs her off, which makes her laugh harder. "I'm your sister, doofus. I'm contractually obligated to piss you off until you do what I want sometimes. Didn't you read the handbook?"

Which makes him duck his head and laugh a little. "The handbook" was a running joke they had when they were kids about what siblings were and weren't allowed to do. He hasn't thought of the handbook since the whole thing with Doug, when he realized Maddie had been taken and a tiny voice in the back of the mind whispered, "According to the handbook, you're allowed to hunt him down like a dog and kill him."

Sighing, he leans into her and nods. "I know. I know I need to talk to Eddie. I-I just wish I had some kind of guarantee he's not going to—that nothing's gonna change when he finds out."

Leaning into him right back, Maddie promises, "If it does, I'll beat him up."

"Yeah?" He smiles, a little pleased by the thought. He wants to tell Tommy about it. But he can't. Not yet. "That in the handbook?"

"Page 53," she says, and hugs him.

[mythtakens]

Maddie and Buck in 3x16 and 5x15

[1doesnotsimplyhavejust1fandam]

This has most definitely been said before, but we were robbed of the core four quarantining on-screen together at Buck’s place. ROBBED I say

[fiona-fififi]

Maddie: 🤨🤔 "mhmm, could be very much the point"..."wow"..."Eddie's friend??"..."I just think that maybe you're not sure of your own feelings, yet, and if there's something that you need to tell Eddie, you will. Just, in your own time."

Evan Buckley, your sister has your number and she is going to gloat SO hard when you finally get your shit together and lock Eddie down.

[wikiangela]

I always had you

buck & maddie rating: G words: 1k summary: Buck always tried to show his mother love on Mother's Day - however, it was rarely appreciated.

[also on Ao3]

___

The first Mother’s Day Buck remembers, however vaguely, was when he was in first grade. Their teacher had them make cards for their moms, and little Evan was so excited to have something to give his mom. He doesn’t remember what his card looked like, but he remembers feeling so proud and excited about it, and showing it to Maddie when she picked him up from school, so they could take the bus together. He remembers Maddie smiling and complimenting him, and he was so excited. And he remembers giving the card to his mother… he remembers the haunted look in her eyes, tears welling up, the forced smile – he thinks she thanked him, but the memory is blurry. He tried to hug her, but she just got up and walked away. Evan was disappointed, maybe even sad, seeing his mom be sad, wondering what he did that was so upsetting. He always seemed to upset his parents. 

He remembers going to Maddie’s room, crying in her arms as she tried to comfort him – he doesn’t know what she said, it was so long ago, but he does remember the comfort she’s always brought him. 

Now, years later, he’s pretty sure his mom must’ve thrown the card away, knowing that his parents didn’t bother to keep anything from his childhood anyway. He’s just a reminder of a failure and loss.

If there’s one thing to be said about Evan Buckley is that he does not give up. So, even as a kid, he tried so hard to earn his parents’ love, to get their attention – usually by being reckless and hurting himself, he learned pretty early on that it was a foolproof way to get any sort of reaction. That’s why his mom’s reaction, or lack thereof, to that first card didn’t deter him. He was just a kid, he didn’t really get it then – now, reflecting back on it, he sees everything he didn’t then, or maybe tried not to.

So every year for Mother’s Day he brought a card from school. Then, when they stopped making them at school, he kept making them at home. When he was old enough and had some of his own money, he’d buy gifts. Something small, a chocolate, a flower, sometimes he’d get Maddie to pitch in so they could get something together. She always seemed apprehensive but indulged Buck anyway. Now Buck knows she was just trying to protect him, spare him the hurt – because each time their mom barely reacted to a gift, Buck’s heart was breaking a little. And the older he got, the less she tried to pretend to like it, and she never tried very hard in the first place. 

He never got any sort of appreciation or warmth, or… or love. It’s all he ever wanted from his mother, from both his parents, but they were too consumed by grief, as he knows now, too cold, haunted, not even willing to try for their remaining children, for years and years. 

Buck remembers the last time he got his mom a gift and decided he’s never doing that again. It was right before Maddie moved to Boston, he could’ve been around twelve. He made another card, just because he liked doing it, liked putting in the effort – and was met with his mother asking if he’s not too old for doodling. That’s what she called it. He was twelve. He was a twelve year old boy who only wanted love from his mom, some form of affection, a reassurance that he wasn’t a nuisance they just tolerated, like he felt so often. He never got it.

So, with angry tears in his eyes, he stormed out and went to Maddie. He gave her the card, just a simple, childish drawing of flowers and a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’, and she hugged him tight and said she loved it. He learned years later that she still has it now, kept with all the postcards he sent her. Maddie’s always been more of a parent to him anyway – and it’s such a bittersweet thought, because while he appreciates her so much, she shouldn’t’ve had to be. They both needed their parents, and instead were basically left alone. At least they had each other. He always had Maddie.

He didn’t wish Margaret a happy Mother’s Day again for years after that, and no one seemed to care, no one ever mentioned it. Sometimes it felt like she just didn’t want a reminder that she was his mother. It hurt, of course it did, and that, among many other things, left a permanent scar on Evan. He’s been healing, getting better, trying to fix whatever relationship with his parents he might still have, but that is always there, in the back of his mind, in his heart.

When Maddie became a mother – and after she came back, having gotten the help she needed – Buck got her a gift again, just a mug that says ‘best mom in the world’ (a reminder, that despite her struggling and doubting herself, she already raised one kid, and will do an even better job with her own) and a handmade card. He felt silly handing it to her, like a little kid again, but he had been doing arts and crafts with Christopher anyway so he decided to make something for his sister’s first Mother’s Day as a mom. So maybe it was silly and weird, and why would a grown man draw a card for his sister? But Maddie smiled widely and hugged him, and chuckled fondly when he promised he’ll teach his niece to make those, too. He can’t wait to watch her grow up, and to watch his sister be the best mom ever. And on every Mother’s Day from now on, he’ll make sure to celebrate her, the person who actually raised him, and helped mold him into who he is today with her endless kindness and patience and love. 

His mother gets a text now, since they’re trying to fix things, and Buck never quits. But Maddie gets taken out to lunch, and gets gifts, and is celebrated by all the people she loves. Because she deserves it, and so much more.

___

[also on Ao3]

[tevanactually]

[tommystummy]

Obviously Maddie is going to be so sweet about Buck coming out to her and probably cradle his head and listen to Buck tell her how much he likes Tommy, but I do think she deserves to at least get one joke about how Buck has been periodically talking her ear off about boys he likes since they were teenagers.

[the-amber-raven]

maybe together we can get somewhere

Tommy has always been able to see ghosts. Usually, they stick around for a few days or weeks, maybe a several months before they get what they need to move on. There was one ghost, however, who appeared when Tommy was young and seemed to be unable to get the closure he needed to let go and so he just… never left. He got used to it, after a while, and Daniel became a consistent companion through his life. – Or, the one where Tommy can see ghosts and is haunted by Daniel Buckley for reasons it takes him almost thirty years to understand.

Tags: Family, angst, hurt/comfort (& a dash of shenanigans, because it wouldn't be one of my fics without that) | Pairing: Buck/Tommy

Chapter 1/5: Distant | 7,736 words | Read on Ao3

[hippolotamus]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Kicking things off early because it's officially Sunday where I am and I'm still awake. So, why not?

A Buckley Siblings moment from come close (let me be home) Prev snippets here

“I’m glad to hear it. You deserve a great love story if that’s what you want. Nothing less.” “Thank you,” Maddie says, before hesitantly adding, “You know, you do, too, Evan. There’s nothing wrong with seeking a partner for yourself while we’re here.” A fleeting thought crosses his mind about handsome strangers with dark hair and eyes, a secret he’s keeping to himself for the time being. He drops his hand and pulls away from her touch, glancing away so he doesn’t have to see the maternal fondness that rolls off of her in waves. “I appreciate that, but we aren’t here for me. My first priority is you.” “Evan,” she sighs with a hint of exasperation. “You are always looking out for me. For others. When will you let it be your turn?” “When you are happily married and living your fairytale ending.” He kisses her on the cheek, plasters on the most sincere smile he can muster, and begins to retreat from the great glass structure before she can argue. “Come. We should prepare for tonight.” Evan doesn’t listen for his sister’s footsteps to hear if she’s following. Instead, he focuses on hurrying his pace without making it overly obvious that he wants the extra distance. Needs it, really. He never has done well with lying to Maddie.

no pressure tagging @disasterbuckdiaz @stereopticons @callmenewbie @exhuastedpigeon @wikiangela @thewolvesof1998 @monsterrae1 @buddierights @eddiebabygirldiaz @apothecarose @rmd-writes @welcometololaland @vanillahigh00 @lizzie-bennetdarcy @jamespearce9-1-1 @spotsandsocks @thekristen999 @daffi-990 @hoodie-buck @watchyourbuck @loserdiaz @gayedmundodiaz @giddyupbuck @underwater-ninja-13 @fortheloveofbuddie @eowon @jesuisici33 @malewifediaz @shortsighted-owl @elvensorceress @spagheddiediaz @chaosandwolves @wildlife4life @your-catfish-friend @the-likesofus @911onabc @honestlydarkprincess @spaceprincessem @fionaswhvre @barbiediaz @pirrusstuff @steadfastsaturnsrings @weewootruck @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @statueinthestone @heartshapedvows @indestructibleheart @evaneds @lemonzestywrites @maygrantgf and anyone else who has something to share 💖

[shares-a-vest]

A sequel to THIS Steddie ficlet but you don't really have to have read it.

Nancy finishes up signing her name with a flourish on the inside of the greeting card she’d bought for Robin for Valentine’s Day. She sets her red sparkly gel pen down on the desk and admires her work. Excellent. Perfectly balanced cursive writing and not a mistake in sight. Poetic and just a little naughty - nothing like Eddie’s card that she had had the displeasure of seeing in full view on the floor of Family Video.

At least it was spirited, unique and honest.

But her card still feels like it’s missing something.

She lifts the card to her lips and stops just short of leaving a lipstick stain on it. Robin probably won’t like that. She’d say something about someone having their mouth all over her Valentine’s Day card, even if it is her own girlfriend.

She looks around at her dresser and contemplates spraying the card with perfume. But she scrunches her nose, thinking Robin probably wouldn’t like a strong scent coming from it either. Turning back to her desk, she decides on a few hand-drawn flowers sprinkled over the inside of the card. Robin will surely give her something handmade (as she always does).

Using a pink marker pen, Nancy carefully surrounds her writing with daisies in varying sizes, the easiest flower for her to draw somewhat competently. As she goes, she inches closer and closer to the surface of her desk, tongue poking out in concentration as she begins adding a peppering of little stars too.

“Um, Nancy?”

She makes what can only be described as a mouse-like squeak noise at the sound of Mike’s interruption. She clutches the marker in her hand, stopping herself from smearing it across Robin’s card. She carefully lifts her hand from the cardstock and clips the cap safely onto the pink marker before spinning around to find Mike lingering at her bedroom door.

“What?” she asks, unable to hide her frustration.

“Are you leaving yet?” he asks, bounding into her bedroom and looking like he's rearing to go somewhere.

Somewhere that presumably requires her to drive him.

“Soon,” she says, giving her brother a tight-lipped, sarcastic smile.

“Can you drive me to Hop’s?” he asks, picking at the bottom seam of his Hellfire shirt.

“Spending the evening with Will, are we?” she teases.

Mike groans and flops back on her bed, sending a pink decorative cushion toppling off the edge where it wedges itself between the mattress and side table.

“I have a card to give him,” he says, staring at the ceiling.

“Good,” she smiles and decides she should probably set aside her card to help out the lump currently sighing and squirming (and messing up the bedspread) on her bed. “You aren’t planning on wearing that, are you?”

Mike rolls onto his stomach to look at her with a look of complete incredulity. Or maybe it’s cluelessness.

Admittedly, that came out meaner and more accusatory than she meant it.

She sighs. Of course, Mike doesn’t know that on Valentine's Day maybe he shouldn’t wear his nerd uniform.

“Just… Anything but that,” she says, even though that doesn’t seem to help either.

Her brother just blinks, kicking his feet.

So she stands up with a huff and gestures to the door. Mike stands and looks her up and down, suspicious.

“You are going to help me pick out something?” he asks, dumbfounded. “For Valentine’s Day? To wear to Will’s house?”

“And politely make suggestions about what you could do that doesn’t involve hanging out in an overcrowded cabin reading comic books, yes.”

And that’s how Nancy spends part of her night chauffeuring around Mike and Will. First picking up Robin, negotiating the change of plans with much protest. Then heading out to the Hooper-Byers’ cabin to pick Will up. Then driving them to the diner which the boys had to settle for because there was no way Nancy was going to have them in Enzo’s a table away from her and Robin. And she wasn't giving up any of her money to Mike, either. Nor did she want to drop them off at the pizza parlour which is where she knew Steve and Eddie would be at some point.

She finally pulls into the car park beside Enzo’s and cuts the engine.

“So,” she starts, clicking off her seatbelt and turning to her date, beaming.

“So?” Robin echos, trying to look inside the restaurant windows.

“I have a card for you,” Nancy says and reaches around to fish in the back for her handbag.

She feels around for it and finds it has been kicked under the passenger’s seat.

“Oh no!” she exclaims and Robin whips around, reaching for it with ease.

“What is it?” she asks, mirroring Nancy’s panic as she hands her the bag.

“Your card!” she says, sniffling. 

Nancy is a little surprised that she's this upset about it. Even though it’s her own damn fault for leaving a soft-fabric bag in the vicinity of two fidgeting and oblivious fifteen-year-olds. She relents and hands the crinkled envelope to Robin.

She tries not to watch as Robin carefully opens it, looking the card over before flipping it open and reading it.

“Wow,” Robin says after a minute.

“You like it?” she says, wide-eyed and hopeful.

“This is so much better than Eddie’s card,” Robin says, giving a belated shudder.

Nancy tuts and rolls her eyes. Robin was so dramatic about Eddie’s card. Even after Steve read it fully, she couldn’t help herself from both scolding him for its contents and asking him for details.

“Not the reaction I wanted,” Nancy sighs, looking at her feet.

She looks over the floor mats and thinks about how her car is in desperate need of a cleaning as she scuffs a pebble under her flats. She only breaks away from her stray thought as Robin shuffles through the ridiculously large handbag at her feet.

“Here!” she declares, holding up a crumpled envelope in victory and promptly hands it over. “Eddie, I loathe to admit, inspired a similarly flirtatious greeting card. Although mine is far less eloquent than yours. Somewhere between the obscenity of Poet Munson and Romanticist Wheeler.”

[hisbucky]

Buck, carrying both Chris and Jee-Yun: I will gladly die for these kids. No questions asked.

Maddie: ...I don't know whether to be touched, or send you to more therapy.

Eddie, dialing Dr. Copeland: We can do both.

[c0rvidfagg0try]

My thoughts on Chimney Punching Buck:

Okay so I’ve seen a lot of Chimney hatred becuz of this scene in particular and it upsets me becuz Chimney was right. I said it.

Now do i think him punching buck was right? No. Do i think he had his reasons and took them out it the wrong fashion? Yes.

Everyone seems to think that Chimney was being irrational in this situation and Buck was a holy saint who did nothing wrong. No. Buck was wrong this time.

Let’s look at Maddie. Maddie has been alone for years. Her parents abandoned her for their grief and she had to raise Buck alone, and then she entered an abusive relationship where she couldn’t get help for years. She was never wanted or desired. And yes Buck loved her but he was a child and couldnt provide the love she deserved.

Maddie running away from Chim and Jee was becuz she felt like she didnt deserve them. She didn’t feel like she was worth saving.

She NEEDED someone to run after her. To show her that she IS wanted, she IS needed.

Buck kept her location a secret from Chim becuz he still looks up to her like a child would to a parent in some ways. He has a bit of a hero worship for her in some ways and doesnt really understand the extent to which she needs help becuz shes been such a strong figure for him their entire life and hasnt really let him see her be weak.

Chimney on the other hand HAS seen her at her worst and knows her intimately. He knows she needs someone to love her with their entire being and thats what he did by running after her. She needed to know she wasn’t alone and Chim did that for her.

And Chim punching Buck was when he was at the height of his emotional breakdown. He was terrified, upset, probably running on very little sleep, of course he was going to snap. I don’t think he should’ve punched Buck but i don’t that makes him the devil.

And neither does him ignoring Buck. He’s obviously frustrated becuz thats his everything right there and he cant find her. She could be dead for all he knows and Buck kept it from him.

Both of them have their flaws in this situation but Chim knew what Maddie needed and Buck didn’t. And Buck’s not in the wrong for not seeing that, he just didn’t know and needed to learn that.

[literatus-ao3]

maddie's "so, tell me more about the hot pilot" is just peak older sister energy and buck's bashful little smile at the end made my heart melt

[kat-rose-griffith]

I love buddie and all… but I think that the person who talked with Buck about his queer identity and convinced him to talk to Tommy again should have been Hen

[maddiebuckettebuckley]

this show is so annoying because every once in a while there will be an actually well-written episode or even a multi-episode plot where everything makes sense and is cohesive and character-driven. and then the next episode they’re doing a propaganda ad for the lapd or a bad homage to a 1958 Hitchcock film. talk about intermittent positive reinforcement jesussss

[911-on-abc]

no shade, but I'm really not a fan of the headcanon where Buck ditches his last name for diaz or nash – not because I think he feels an attachment to the Buckleys over them, but because it connects him with his sister