#captain chim

"It's fine, Maddie," Buck said, watching Tommy give Chimney a playful shove across the backyard.

"It's just that Chim said without Tommy, he wouldn't be alive, let alone Captain," she said, following Buck's gaze.

"Yeah, Tommy's pretty amazing," Buck said quietly.

Maddie wasn't sure what to make of the small, wistful smile on her brother's face.

"Wait, are you sleeping with him?" she hissed, lowering her voice.

"Little bit," he replied with a shrug.

"Oh my God, Buck! It took you months to get over him, and now what—you're friends with benefits?" she said, glancing around to make sure no one could hear.

"First of all, I never got over him, and second of all, it's not like that, Maddie," Buck said, his voice soft but firm.

"Then what is it like?" Maddie pressed, studying her brother's face carefully.

"Promise you won't freak out," Buck asked.

"No," Maddie replied, and Buck rolled his eyes.

"Maddie," he warned.

"I'll try my best," she said with a weary look.

"So, uh, we kind of live together," Buck said casually.

"What??" Maddie yelped, then quickly lowered her voice when several people turned to look.

"Well, people tend to do that when they're married," Buck said, unable to hide his grin at his sister's shocked expression.

Maddie's mouth fell open. "Married? Buck, what are you talking about? When? How? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd react exactly like this," Buck said, gesturing at her wide-eyed, shocked response.

"This is a perfectly reasonable reaction!" Maddie protested, then realized she was literally waving her hands around. "Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic. But Buck, married? To Tommy? Your ex-boyfriend Tommy?"

"Yes, Maddie. We've been married for a few months now," Buck said.

"Months?" she said, her voice again rising slightly. "You've been keeping this a secret for months?"

"Everyone's been busy doing their own thing," Buck said defensively. "You have the baby, and Chimney's becoming captain, and Eddie's been working on his paramedic certification. It just never seemed like the right time to bring it up."

"The right time?" Maddie stared at him in disbelief. "Buck, you got married! There's never a wrong time to mention to your sister that you got married!"

"I know, I know," Buck said, running a hand through his hair. "But after Bobby died, everything was so chaotic. Tommy helped me work through some of my grief, and we realized we didn't want to live life without each other. It all happened pretty fast."

"Does anyone else know?" Maddie asked, her voice softening slightly.

Buck shifted uncomfortably. "Hen figured it out. But we've been keeping it quiet because everything's been so overwhelming since we lost Bobby."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Maddie said, though her tone was gentler now, understanding the weight of what Buck had been carrying.

"I wasn't trying to hide it from you. I just didn't want to add stress, and I know how you feel about Tommy," Buck said.

Maddie sighed. "I don't dislike Tommy, Buck. I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

"It's different now, Maddie. I promise. We've worked through our issues, and we're working every day to strengthen our relationship. He's it for me, Mads," Buck said earnestly.

"Well, then I guess congratulations are in order," Maddie said with a growing smile. "Do you have any wedding pictures?" She paused, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "And don't think you're getting out of me throwing you guys a reception."

Buck groaned. "Maddie, no. We specifically avoided all that wedding stuff for a reason."

"Too bad," she said cheerfully. "I'm your sister, and I missed my brother's wedding. You're getting a party whether you like it or not. Pictures. Now."