#the genre of fic in which buck causes problems for everyone by accident because he cannot catch a clue

[glorious-spoon]

@wildlife4life and @captain-hen tagged me for WIP Wednesday - thank you!

This is from a post S6 ficlet that has been growing legs recently, featuring the Buckley-Han family, plus Buck.

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"How was she?" she whispers.

Buck laughs quietly. "Just, like, the coolest little girl in Los Angeles."

"Obviously," Howie says. "She's my daughter."

Maddie swats at him fondly, and he leans in to kiss her cheek before slipping around her to pad down the hall toward Jee's room. She watches him lean against the doorway, smiling, his tired face lit up by the soft, shifting lights, and then looks back at Buck in time to see him following her gaze with something wistful in his expression.

"What is it?" she whispers.

Buck winces, then shakes his head with a rueful smile. "Uh, nothing. Just tired. How was the cake?"

"Expensive," Maddie says. "I don't know how I'm supposed to pick just one flavor."

"Did you at least narrow it down?"

"Umm…well, there's the vanilla with raspberry filling, the vanilla with mixed berry compote, the lemon lavender…"

"I'm holding out for the white chocolate," Howie says as he steps back into the living room. "Hey, seriously, thanks for watching her, Buck. I know it was last minute."

"Yeah, no problem. Not like I have anything else going on." There's a slightly sour note to it that Buck must hear as soon as he says it, because he makes a face, waves his hand like he's dismissing a bad smell, and pulls on a smile.

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No-pressure tagging @fraddit, @lynne-monstr, @alessandriana, @incognitajones, and anyone else who'd like to play!