Chapter Text
Buck agrees that dinner probably could have gone better.
Nothing was bad, per say, things were just… not great.
He didn’t really mean to hide Natalia away, it was just that she came into his life at a really difficult time; fresh out of the hospital with a death experience, and right before everyone in his chosen family was crushed by a collapsed bridge.
So after a few months, he decided that Natalia should start to meet his family. And who else would he start with besides Maddie.
And Chim, by extension.
So after working around two firefighters, a dispatcher and a death doulas schedule, the four of them finally had a night off all together, without a toddler.
And things went… OK.
The first strike was an accident.
Maddie and Chims house was covered in stuff for their wedding, and everything was a tight squeeze. Buck really didn’t mean to jostle Natalias arm causing her to spill her wine all over Maddies to-do list.
“It’s fine Natalia,” she says, trying to sound casual but with a tone in her voice that sounded very Not Fine to Buck. “I should have cleaned up more- It really isn’t your fault!”
The second strike was a misunderstanding.
“Buck and Chim just lead such exciting lives” Natalia was gushing, that starry eyed look on her face. “It’s amazing how they have both faced death, in so many different ways, and have lived to tell the tale. Chimney, Buck was telling me about the rebar in your head! How on earth did you survive?”
Chimney puffed up his chest, and launched into explanation about his misadventures with rebar, but Buck could only watch Maddie, who had a tight expression on her face. If Buck didn’t know her so well, he wouldn’t even realize that she was tense. He was so preoccupied with watching Maddie he didn’t even notice the silence that had settled over the table.
“Sorry, what was that?” he asked, hoping he didn’t light a fuse. Natalia pushed her pasta around her plate, looking straight down.
“Natalia was just telling us how cool it is that you died. You know, because it was no big deal.” Maddie said with a steely tone to her voice.
“Woah, no. That isn’t what I meant at all; my whole career is death. I’m surrounded by it every day- so many people fear death, and it's just amazing that your brother has come so close, and evaded it every single time.”
“Amazing?” Maddies grip around her fork tightens. “ I almost lost my brother. My child almost grew up without an Uncle. Those days that he was in a coma were some of the worst of my life, because I didn’t know how I was supposed to carry on without him. If I would ever see him again. So no, I don’t think it’s amazing that my brother was dead for three minutes.”
Natalia looked sheepish and ducked her head down. Buck wasn’t sure what was worse, the tension in the air, or the awkward scraping of forks on the plate.
Chim, ever the diffuser, spoke up first.
“Hey, Natalia, did you know that Buck introduced Maddie and I? It’s kind of a funny story…”
The third strike was… a mess.
Buck didn’t even know how the situation changed so quickly. Things were back on track, everyone laughing, having a good time. Dinner was finished, and the pie that BUck had bought for dessert was almost ready.
“Just letting you guys know, you are my test dummies for the pie- i've never made it before and i need to impress Bobby with something new.” Buck spoke up from the kitchen, putting the oven mitts on.
“I bet that Bobby isn’t the only person you are trying to impress with that pie, huh?” Chim called out. Buck didn’t need to look at him to see the teasing glint in his eye. “ Eddie has told us all recently about how much of a teenage dirtbag Chris is becoming- I bet you want to win him over one last time before he is all dramatic sighs and slammed doors.”
“Oh God, don't remind me. I swear that I blink and he grows another inch. I have no idea how Eddie is handling it.” Buck says walking into the kitchen with the pie.
“Eddie is a massive undercover softie,” Maddie says, making space for the pie on the table. “He is probably crying himself to sleep every time Chris rolls his eyes like a teenager.”
“It’s so much worse than you think- he called me up the other day because Chris didn’t want to walk with Eddie at the mall- Chris had found some friends and asked Eddie to walk behind him so he didn’t get embarrassed. Thank god the kid is still paying attention to him at home otherwise I wouldn’t hear about anything else.”
“How are you handling it Buck? Are you still the cool Dad?” Chim asks as Buck starts cutting into the pie.
Buck was about to shoot right back when Natalia asks in a very small voice
“Umm… who is Chris?”
Maddies head shot up to look at Buck across the table while Chim was completely unfazed, digging into his pie. He snorted after Natalia spoke.
“Who’s Chris? Good one.” It was quiet for a few moments before he looked up and realized how tense everyone was. “Oh. you weren’t kidding. Buck, why does she not know about Chris?”
Buck was stuck- how do you just explain to someone who Chris was to him? Sure technically he was his best friend's kid, but now? It was so much more than that. The bond that the three of them shared, was so much deeper than what was on the surface.
Bucks head was spinning, with tsunamis, and gunshots, collapsing wells, grenades and coffee machines, Wills, grasped shoulders and Because, Evans , comfortable couches and video games, and he didn’t know what to say, but it definitely wasn’t
“Chris is my kid.”
Which was met with Chim choking on his pie, while Maddie and Natalias mouths fell open.
Fuck. He had to backtrack.
“Well… He is Eddie's kid, and they are both my best friends, but if Eddie dies, Chris goes to me. So he actually isn’t my kid! Only if something really bad happens, which hopefully it doesn’t, but if it does- umm… you know”
Third strike of dinner. Ding ding ding. Knockout.
Everyone was sitting still watching him.
Finally, Natalia got up shakily.
“Sorry guys- I just got a call about… a client. She has taken a turn and I need to go help her family and make sure she is ready. It- It was lovely meeting you both! Thanks for letting me into your lovely home! And dinner was great!” She is moving quickly, grabbing her coat, her purse, running away,
Again.
“Wait, wait! Natalia, wait!” Buck chases her and the front door closes behind her.
“Make it quick Buckley, because my Uber is four minutes away.” She says in a hard tone, not taking her eyes off her phone.
“Natalia, I’m sorry, for not telling you about Chris, I really am.” She was still silent. “I didn’t mean to hide him- he really is just my best friends kid and-”
“Does your friend know that?” She asks sharply, before letting out a sorrowful laugh. “You know, each time I thought I had peeled back all the layers, there is just more and more of you, that I don’t understand. Like, seriously Buck, you could have given me the heads up that you father your friend's child before dinner with your sister? Were you trying to blindside me?”
“Blindside- Natalia no! Chris just never came up. I wasn’t trying to hide him- not even Chim and Maddie knew that I’m his legal guardian!”
“You did blindside me though, and you keep doing it! It’s like… you don't actually want me to see the real you- you give me all of this pretty surface level stuff, but I don’t actually know anything about you besides the lightning strike.
Your ex-girlfriend is writing an expose, and you donated your sperm, and had the mother living on your couch, and now, you are a father to a teenage boy! How is something that never comes up?” The silence is tense as Buck is left speechless. “Whatever. My uber is down the street so I am going to go and see my client. I’ll pick my stuff up from yours later.”
“Wait! Can’t we talk about this?”
The Uber pulls up and finally, finally, Natalia looks at him.
“We have had months to talk to Buck. We are out of time.” She gave him a sad look. “Tell your sister and Chim it was nice to meet them. I’ll be by your place later to grab my things.”
And with that, the car drove away.