Chapter Text
Buck wakes up tied to a chair in a dimly lit warehouse, a gag hanging loosely around his neck because the kidnapper figured he didn’t need to gag him while he was unconscious.
Buck groans at the shooting pain above his right eyebrow. He tries to lift his hand but finds his hands are tied behind his back.
His first thought, surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly, actually) is ‘Oh God, another head injury. Bobby’s gonna kill me.’
But then reality catches up.
“Wh-what?” he mutters, looking around to try to figure out where he is and who he’s with.
“Well, well, look who’s finally awake.”
Buck startles at the sudden voice cutting through the silence of the room and squints against the white light to try and see his kidnapper’s face.
He doesn’t recognize him. The man looks like he’s in his 30’s, a grey bandana covering the lower part of his face.
“What am I doing here?” Buck asks, confused. His furrowed brows only heighten the pain above his eye.
The kidnapper explains that his father died last year, trapped in a collapsed building downtown. The 118 tried to save him but couldn’t get him out in time. The kidnapper has been stewing in grief and anger ever since, convinced they didn’t do enough.
“I’m sorry about your dad. I remember that day. There was nothing we could do for him.”
“Yeah, well. Tell that to your colleagues. They’ll finally understand what it’s like to lose someone they love.”
Buck shrugs, probably not understanding the gravity of the situation right now. Maybe he has a concussion? That would explain his obliviousness right now.
“I once died for like, three minutes. Eddie likes to point out that it was three minutes and seventeen seconds... What I am trying to say, is that it’s not my first brush with death!” Buck rambles, shrugging.
“I’m not gonna kill you if they do exactly what I say.”
“You know Eddie has a silver star, so he’s probably making a rescue plan as we speak. He’s gonna pretend he’s all calm.” Buck scoffs with a fond smile.
“But I know deep inside he’s panicking and spouting all kinds of Spanish words I cannot understand but sound super sexy coming out of his mouth- um I mean. Never mind.” Buck says, feeling his face heat up in embarrassment.
“I need you to shut up now.” The kidnapper growls, trying to make the camera work so he can record Buck and finally send the video to the 118.
The guy half expects Buck to start panicking at the sight of the camera and baseball bat sitting right next to him, to start begging for him not to kill him. But instead-
“Do you have snacks?” Buck wonders out loud,
The kidnapper blinks, thrown off. “Snacks?”
“Eddie says I get hangry when I’m stressed. I normally stress bake, but I don’t suppose you’ve got what I need here.” he looks around and sighs dejectedly. “Kinda looks like a dumpster if you ask me”
“You’re being really quiet. Are you planning my ransom or are you just thinking about Eddie now too?” Buck inquires, looking at the man in front of him, who all but shoots him a glare that should make him shut up and do what he says. But, once again, instead he just-
“Oh wow, that’s your ‘tough guy’ face? Eddie does that too, when he’s pretending he’s not worried about me!” Buck says excitedly but then frowns. “But you’re not Eddie, so you’re not worried about me.”
“Dude, I need you to stop talking about this guy for, like five seconds. Actually, stop talking at all. You were kidnapped,” he says, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Why aren’t you freaking out? Why aren’t you begging me to not kill you?”
You could tell this man was not a pro at kidnapping people. He was the one freaking out and he was the one panicky at the idea of having to use force against Buck.
“Eddie will do anything to find me. I’m not worried about that. Hey, did I tell you he has a silver star?”
The kidnapper wants to scream, “Yes! Yes, you said that like three times now!”
Buck just ignores him, “He served, went to Afghanistan, saw the most horrifying shit there. Came back with PTSD—I once had to stop him from destroying his own bedroom—so a little kidnapping is nothing for him. He’ll find me. He always does. He’s the best man in the world.”
The kidnapper lets out a long sigh and walks out the door, leaving Buck alone with his thoughts and feelings realization.
Buck, oblivious to everything around him, keeps talking out loud, probably thinking the kidnapper can hear him from the other room.
A few hours later, after fighting like hell to make the video recording thing work, the guy tries to record a serious ransom video.
“Say your name clearly.” he instructs.
“Oh! Should I do the thing where I hold today’s newspaper?” Buck says with his usual golden retriever energy.
The kidnapper loses patience, once again, and groans out loud.
“What? No! Just say what I told you to say!”
“Oh, right, sorry. Do I say my full name? Or like my nickname? I mostly go by my nickname. Nobody calls me Evan. Everyone calls me Buck. Well, except Pepa, she calls me Evancito.” he says with a smile.
“For the love of God, just say your name and let’s get this over with,” the kidnapper groans, again, running a hand over his face tiredly.
After three attempts at a decent ransom recording and half a granola bar eaten, Buck sits back on his chair, growing tired by the minute. The guy just paces around him, trying to get the video to send.
“I’m sorry about your dad,” Buck says quietly. “I actually remember that call. We all did what we could.”
The kidnapper just shakes his head.
“What was he like? Your dad, I mean. I hope he wasn’t like my dad. My biological dad. My other dad—Bobby— he’s the greatest. But my biological dad, not so much.” he shrugs.
“So, if your dad was half decent, you’re already a great step ahead of me. I mean, you must have loved him if you want revenge so much. I usually just cry in my shower when I think about my father.”
The kidnapper blinks, stopping his pacing to stand directly in front of Buck.
“Are you seriously trauma-dumping on me right now?”
“It’s a coping mechanism!” Buck protests. “Eddie says I should work on that. Actually called it the 'trials and tribulations of Evan Buckley'. Which, ew, because he never calls me th—"
At that, the kidnapper just snaps.
“I can’t take it anymore! Go! Go back to...Eddie! You guys probably deserve each other!"
Buck blinks up at him, his face a mixture of confusion and surprise.
“Wait, you know Eddie?”