Evan Buckley

Chapter 2: Not too bad

Chapter 2: Not too bad

Buck was completely sure Eddie was mocking him. Every single time Buck completed a rep, Eddie would immediately follow suit. Not only that, but Eddie also matched Buck's weight on the bench press and attacked the punching bag as if he were envisioning Buck's face on it. What really pushed Buck over the edge was when Eddie made a comment about the lighting being just right for good pictures. 

"Some people don't need lighting to look good" Eddie just shrugged it off, continuing about perfect lighting for photos, apparently cool, blue lighting makes you look soft. Chimney was tuned into what he was saying, Buck too but for different reasons. Eddie showed Chim the photos he took for the magazine, "Professional photography is kinda cheating you know." Buck commented. 

It was the only thing he could say because Eddie was right about the lighting, his pictures were much better than his. Eddie laughed, which annoyed Buck even more. He knows people do not take him seriously in the real world, but here he is great at his job and everyone recognizes it.

 "A twelve-year-old took these photos," Eddie added. Great, now he looks dumb. "Honestly, what is your problem man" Eddie took a few calm steps forward.

 Buck set his weights on the ground and rose to his feet. His mind went blank as he realized he didn't have a real problem, at least not one that others wouldn't dismiss as trivial. They all saw him as overly dramatic, a label he couldn't deny. He tended to exaggerate things, whether it was his overexcitement about a new restaurant he wanted to visit or his tendency to recite the entire Wikipedia page things, most recently on humpback whales after hyper-fixating on them the night before. But he didn't mind. Right now, with Eddie's smug expression directed at him, he felt the urge to wipe that look off his face.

"Ok, you" He said he was willing to bite back. "You're my problem, your comfort level, you're not supposed to just walk in here like you've been here for years. There is meant to be a get to know you period. You are meant to respect your elders" 

Chimney spoke up, " You are not his elder Buck" Another reason to feel dumb later but right now he could feel the blood boil in his veins.

 It seems like Eddie didn't even consider how I felt when he took over my position. He seamlessly stepped in as the new person, and now everyone loves him the way they used to love me."Look I in no way, meant to be too familiar" He responded like it was a question. "I know you are going through some personal stuff, with your girlfriend breaking up with you,and you are coming to terms with it. I am so sorry about that by the way, it must be tough." 

That statement hit Buck like a ton of bricks, broke up with him? "No, she did not break up with me. Who told you that?" He could see Chim looking at him, he definitely will have to ask him about that later. 

" All I'm saying is, I hear you are a good guy. I know you are going through a hard time but there is no reason for you to take it out on me or be threatened by me. We are on the same team"

 Buck stepped forward so they were inches away from each other. "Now, why would I be threatened by you?" 

He could tell he was starting to get under Eddie's skin, the smug smirk was replaced by an irritated expression. "Exactly, there is no reason to be, we do the same job. I just happened to have done it while people were shooting at me is all" 

That was all it took for the dam to break. Buck unleashed a powerful right hook, connecting directly under Eddie's eye with a solid impact.In less than three seconds, Eddie had already recovered from the punch and soon found himself locked in a fierce struggle on the floor, both fighters vying for control. Eddie positioned himself on top of Buck, launching a series of jabs aimed at Buck's face. Despite his efforts, none of the punches landed solidly as Buck defended himself by protecting his face. He managed to gain the upper hand and swiftly repositioned himself, gaining himself a knee to the rib. Buck would be lying if he said that it didn't take the wind out of him. Before he could swing again, they were being pulled apart. Chimney had his hand out in front of Eddie as a warning, Bobby doing the same to Buck.

The atmosphere was tense as Eddie gazed at him with an unreadable expression. Quickly interpreting it as concern, but not directed at him, Buck noticed Eddie's focus shift just past his shoulder. "Christopher?" Eddie grabbed a towel and briskly wiped his face, removing the blood. He crouched down to be at eye level with the boy. "What are you doing here?" His eyes darted around the room, fully aware of the people present, then settled on the older woman who had entered with the boy. "What IS he doing here?" 

Buck picked up on a strong sense of care from his brief encounter with Eddie, and he believed that Eddie had a deep affection for the boy. However, Buck couldn't quite figure out Eddie's connection to the boy. If Eddie had a son, Buck thought it was likely that he would have mentioned it by now, either to him or to someone else. 

The woman spoke up, " Your abuela is in the hospital" Buck saw the worry wash over his face. "Don't worry too much, she will be fine, she had a small fall when watching him. She called me but I have to get back to work."

 Buck understood how heavily the guilt must have weighed on Eddie, realizing the tough decision he had to make to ask his grandmother to take care of his son, Buck assumed. It must have been incredibly hard for Eddie to not be there for his grandmother after her fall, Not having anyone to take care of your son because of the job. Firefighters get a lot of praise, and Buck wouldn't trade it for the world however it takes a lot of time from you. The 118 watched as the woman walked out of the station.

Buck was the first person on his knees, "Hey buddy, I'm Buck, I work with Eddie" Buck realized that Eddie had not yet introduced the boy to anyone, and as a result, everyone present stood there, staring at the two of them.

"Everyone this is Christopher my..." He felt the hesitation. "My son" The only person that didn't seem shocked was Bobby. 

"Not gonna lie, I didn't peg you for the parent type" Buck spoke up, after everyone else had introduced themselves and walked off. 

"I didn't either, I love this kid tho" Eddie kissed the top of his son's head. "Dad, what happened to your face?" Buck made eye contact with the other. "Rough day on the job kiddo."

Christopher lingered at the station until the end of the shift, and the crew took turns giving him a tour. Buck, in particular, eagerly stepped up for most of the shifts, as it was common knowledge how much he adored being around children. The two engaged in lively conversation about a myriad of topics. If you gazed at Buck with a slightly narrowed focus, you could easily mistake him for a seven-year-old, as his eyes glowed with excitement over even the smallest things. He regaled Christopher with tales of his pet hermit crab from childhood and recounted the time he had broken his leg while skateboarding. It seemed that Buck had a story for every topic Christopher broached, and this tendency earned him some brownie points in his own mind, at the very least.

As the shift drew to a close, the 118 crew gathered their personal items and dispersed in different directions. Buck couldn't help but notice how the station, which served as just another workplace for everyone else, felt like the center of his universe at the end of each day. It was only then that he realized how isolated he really was. While his colleagues probably went home to their families and pets, hardly sparing a thought for the station, for Buck, it was his whole world. He often chided himself for this, feeling pathetic for being so attached to a place where he spent most of his days alone. But after being on his own for so long, it had become his normal. 

He was snapped out of his thoughts, Eddie stood in front of him along with Christopher, "Bye Buck" the child exclaimed with a grin that made his heart melt out of his body. 

" Bye superman". Buck looked from the child to his father, mouthing something to him, "Sorry about the face". Eddie only smirked, adding a nod to assure Buck that it was ok.

 "See you tomorrow Buck " Slapping a hand on his shoulder, adding a comforting squeeze.

As Buck made his way home, chuckling about the day's occurrences, it struck him how different his feelings were towards the newbie now compared to his initial expectations. Earlier, he wouldn't have imagined being on friendly terms with the new colleague. However, as he left the workplace, Buck found himself with a fresh perspective on his co-worker. While they weren't exactly friends yet, he felt open to the idea of getting to know him better.