I enjoy sending you prompts. I hope it’s ok that I’ve spammed you today ahaaaa. What about a firefam adventure to LA Pride? 🥺 would they be there to rep the LAFD in the parade? Or for fun? Sometimes when I wanna make myself go 🥺 I think about Athena & Bobby giving out mom and dad hugs 😭*cries in pansexual*
late drabble reply :) thanku for the prompt <33
this turned into a (shockingly cathartic---for me anyway) accidental coming out drabble and i have zero regrets (happy ending of course)
tw: homophobia, tw: abuse, tw: shitty buckley parents
Buck isn’t on shift that weekend, which is why, he tells himself later, he never bothered to check the work schedule. Or else he’d have known that the 118 would be the ones on duty to put out any “fires” that might arise at LA’s Pride Parade this year.
He knows Hen isn’t going this year because Karen’s out of town with Denny visiting her mom, and they normally go together, so Buck shakes off his anxieties over seeing someone that might recognize him and finally accepts Michael’s invite.
It’s a nice sunny day, so Buck wears a pair of pink light joggers, his white converse, and a white, short sleeved tee with a rainbow on the front. Michael laughs when he asks “Is this too much?”
“Buck, trust me, if anything, you’re overdressed.” Michael sees the uncertain look on his friends face and frowns sympathetically. He knows the feeling. “Hey, look at me,” he puts a steady hand on Buck’s shoulder. “I know it’s scary at first, but I’m here, you’ve got me, alright?”
Michael’s presence alone is reassurance enough, and Buck lets the older man lead him into the crowd and introduce him to some friends of his.
It’s incredible. Everyone is in fun and colorful outfits, there are streamers and glitter and body paint, people holding signs, holding hands, dancing, laughing, smiling---Buck doesn’t know exactly what to call this feeling he’s experiencing, but he knows he likes it. A lot.
He’s having an amazing time, his face now covered in face paint, a pink feather boa around his neck, and so much glitter on his shoes he’s not sure he’ll ever get all of it out, when he hears a very familiar voice call his name. He freezes.
“Buck?” Bobby calls a second time, coming closer.
Buck turns around, his heart dropping to his stomach. “Oh uh, hey, um, w-what’re you doing here?” he stutters, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants when he notices Hen, Chim and Eddie walking over, too. Shit.
“We’re on tent duty over there.” He points to the Med tents nearby.
Michael comes back from getting them waters and immediately swoops in for the rescue. “Bobby, that you? Your team working the tent today, huh?”
Bobby greets Michael with a warm smile. “Yeah, is this your first Pride?” he asks, curious. He knows Michael only recently came out in the last couple of years.
Michael shakes his head. “Second, actually. But it’s my first one since my breakup with Glenn,” he shrugs, “So I invited Buck as an ally to tag along.”
Buck nods, holding himself perfectly still beside Michael, grateful as all hell for the support. An ally. Duh. How did he not think to say that?
Bobby looks a little sad but fixes his expression quickly, faking a smile. “That’s nice. We were just taking a little break, but we should start heading back to the tents.” he nods at the two. “Have fun.”
Michael nods, waving goodbye as the team start to walk off.
Hen stays behind a moment and looks at Buck, who still looks like a deer caught in headlights. She doesn’t say anything, she knows words probably won’t suffice in this case. Instead Hen steps forward and wraps her arms around Buck, tight. When she pulls away Buck’s eyes are bright with tears he refuses to let the light of day see and she feels a tug on her heart strings. “See you later, Buckaroo.” she runs back to the tents afterward, not entirely prepared for all the questions.
“Why wouldn’t he tell us?” Chimney wonders, pacing the tent.
Hen rolls her eyes. “Well it’s not any of our business.”
Eddie folds his arms over his chest. “I’m his best friend.” he’s pouting, and he knows it, but he really didn’t think they kept any secrets between them.
Bobby purses his lips. “Michael said he invited him as an ally---we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions.”
Hen nods in agreement. “Exactly.”
“Do you think Maddie knows? I mean, if he is.” Chim mulls it over. “Oh shit, did I ever say anything offensive that might’ve---”
Hen raises an eyebrow at him, “If you ever did you already know I’d have kicked your ass two times over.”
It’s in that moment that Buck chooses to step into the tent, somehow managing to make himself look small, the way he’s standing. He’s washed the face paint off, shaken away the glitter, and the fuzzy boa is nowhere to be seen.
“Buck,” Bobby stands up, concerned, “You alright?” He looks pale.
Buck bites his bottom lip. “I’m not here because I’m an ally, I’m here because I’m bi or pan, or,” he shrugs, “I don’t really know, but I’m not straight. And um, look, the only reason I didn’t say anything is because I grew up in kind of a small town and when I told my parents they didn’t take it well, they’re really religious and they didn’t want the neighbors or anybody at church to talk.” he doesn’t tell them about the way they treated him after he came out, and he certainly doesn’t talk about what his dad did to him when he caught Buck out in the barn making out with Marc Jacobs from the hockey team, at age fifteen.
“I knew you guys wouldn’t care, but I just---” Buck looks down. “I didn’t want to risk it. I’m sorry.”
Bobby looks sad again, and he is, for a lot of reasons. “Son, don’t be sorry. I’m so so proud of the person you are Buck, and I hope you are too.” he moves forward and opens his arms. “C’mere.”
Buck hesitates only half a second before he practically throws himself into the Captain’s waiting embrace, knocking some of the breath out of Bobby, but Bobby doesn’t care. He holds Buck as if he were his own, and when Buck buries his face into Bobby’s neck and sniffles, his shoulders shaking slightly, the rest of the crew join in.
They surround Buck on all sides, with love and affection, understanding and acceptance. This is his family and now they know, and they still love him, and that is something so new and foreign to Buck that he can’t help but cry.
“We’ve got you.” Eddie tells him.
