Chapter Text
The x-gene had long been known but not widely accepted. In LA it was a bit more accepted, but Buck still chose to hide his mutation from his firefam. The only one who knew was Maddie. It’s the reason why he never showed anyone his back. His mutation showed up when he was 12. The tattoos of eagle wings appeared one morning, and he realized that if concentrated hard enough the wings would erupt from his back. He also learned that with the wings came enhanced sense and a higher metabolism, also that when his wings were out, he weighed lighter. Buck wasn’t sure why but that’s what happened.
Now he was sitting in the loft of the station, listening to all te sounds of the firehouse. Buck felt bad for hiding this secret from them, but he didn’t know how they would react. He had to smile to himself as he heard Eddie’s footsteps coming towards him. The two of them were beginning something new, a romantic relationship, they hadn’t done much yet, but it was exciting. In fact, Buck was thinking of telling Eddie, but he was scared.
“Hey Buck, what’s on your mind?” Eddie asked.
“Nothing really, do you think we can talk after our shift?” Buck asked looking at the man that he loved.
“Of course, what about?” Eddie had a curious look on his face. The alarm rang before he could answer.
“I’ll tell you later.” Buck said as they raced down to the trucks.
“We have a suspected jumper on the Vincent Thomas Bridge.” Bobby told them as they started driving to the scene.
The crew grew tense as they drove. It usually was when they had calls like this. However, this would be Buck’s first call to a jumper on a bridge. If they couldn’t talk the person down and he jumped, well they wouldn’t survive. Buck knew that if it came to that he was the only one who could and would save the person.
“Alright, stay close. Buck, Eddie, need you two to get the harnesses ready. Be on standby so we can pull him back over.” Bobby said.
“Copy cap.” The two said.
Buck and Eddie took off their turnout coats and waited. The jumper was a man in his early twenties. Buck could tell that the man was crying and possibly had been for hours.
“Hey Matt, I’m Bobby, can we talk?” Bobby asked.
“Just stay back or I’ll jump, I swear!” Matt cried.
“Alright, Matt, I’ll stay back if you’ll just talk to me, okay.” Bobby said keeping his voice calm.
“You wouldn’t understand. My life is over now, I thought they would be there for me.”
“Who, your parents?”
“Yeah, but they think I’m a freak. I have the x-gene. And they hate me for it. I just can’t take the hatred anymore.” Buck closed his eyes as dread filled his gut. “You can’t save me.” And with that Matt had jumped.
Without thinking Buck ran towards the edge and jumped after the kid. He unfurled his wings as everyone yelled out his name. His twenty-foot wingspan propelling him to catch Matt as he fell towards the unforgiving water below.
“You have it too?” Matt asked as he clung onto Buck as he flew them back up to the bridge, hoping the media wouldn’t be there. When Buck landed the looks he was receiving from his team were just shocked and terrified.
*Eddie’s P.O.V.*
Eddie’s heart went to his throat as he saw Buck run and jump off the bridge after Matt. It wasn’t surprising that he would do that, but what was surprising was the fact that the man he loves had wings sprouting from his back and through the slits in his work shirt. He had huge eagle like wings that effortlessly lifted his partner through the air.
“Did you know that he had the gene too?” Hen asked as they watched Buck grab the kid and began flying up.
“No, but earlier before we got called out to this he asked if we could talk after shift.” Eddie said with a shrug. “Maybe he wanted to tell me about this.”
“Maybe.” Hen hummed as they watched their youngest member land safely and the wings retracted into his back with a roll of his shoulders.
Eddie made his way over to Buck’s side and just gave him a look, silently asking him if he’s okay. Buck just nodded giving him a sigh of relief as his blue eyes locked onto his. Bobby then came over as well and brought Buck into a crushing hug.
“Don’t ever do that again.” Bobby said as he released the man he viewed as his son.
“Sorry Bobby, but I knew I could save him.” Buck said sheepishly. “And I’ll explain everything back at the station.”
“Good, I’ll dispatch know that we need to be offline for an hour and a half.” Bobby said with a sharp nod.
They wrapped up the scene and they headed back to the station. It was tense but Eddie kept his hand on Buck’s thigh, squeezing in reassurance. The younger man may have kept this a secret, but Eddie knew it was because he was terrified and not everyone is for mutant rights. So when they got to the station Buck climbed up to the loft and waited for them all to meet up there.
“So, I guess you’re wondering why I kept it from you guys, huh?” Buck asked as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
“Yeah, I guess so, did you not trust us?” Bobby asked sadly.
“It’s not that I didn’t trust you. The only one I’ve told was Maddie, and that’s when they appeared when I was 12.”
“I was curious about that. Where do they go?” Hen asked.
“Um, Cap, is it okay if I take my shirt off? That’s the only way to show you?” he asked.
“Okay,” Bobby said nodding his head.
Buck took his shirt off, slowly, and it was slowly killing Eddie. But when Buck turned around shirtless. On his back were tattoos of the eagle wings they saw earlier.
“So, these just showed up one day?” Chim asked.
“Yeah, Maddie spotted them one day. And if I concentrate, you may want to back up a bit.” Buck said.
They all stood back as the wings sprouted from his back, exactly from where the tattoos were. They were brown and white speckled. The tips came down to his knees. The tattoos of the wings had disappeared in place of the actual wings now in their places.
“Buck, can I touch?” Hen asked. Eddie could tell that Buck was startled by the question.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so, Hen.” The uncertainty in Buck’s voice cut Eddie deeply.
Hen walked forward and carefully placed a hand on one of the wings. The awe on her face made Eddie long to touch them as well.
“What else can you do? Or is it just the wings?” Chim asked.
“Well, I have enhanced senses and a high metabolism. And whenever my wings are out, I weigh lighter than I normally do, makes flying easier.”
“Well, now that makes a lot of sense.” Bobby said. And it did. Buck was always the one to hear and find people left behind in fires, people and animals.
“You’re lighter with these giant wings out? I don’t believe it.” Chim said. Buck just turned and smirked at Chim.
“Go get the scale, I’ll prove it.” The smirk was back where it belongs, and it put Eddie at ease.
Chim ran down the stairs and back up with the scale from the gym. Eddie knew that Buck usually weighed 220 lbs. When Buck stepped onto the scale, they were all shocked when it read 180 lbs. Buck just smirked at the shocked expressions on the teams’ faces’. Buck rolled his shoulders, and the wings shrank back into his back as the tattoos.
“So, did you cut slits in all of your shirts?” Bobby asked.
“Yeah, sorry Cap. Just did that to be on the safe side. In case I needed to fly at some point.” Buck said sheepishly.
“Well, you did a good job. I couldn’t even tell they were there until today.”
“I’ve perfected it over the years.” Buck said as he put his shirt back on.
“I’m sorry that it took you this long to trust us.” Bobby said with a sad look on his face.
“It’s not that I didn’t trust you guys, like I said the only one I told was Maddie. I never told my parents. Plus, I was actually working up to tell you guys. But that kinda got taken from me.”
“Is there any other personal information you want to share?” Chim asked.
“Um, well, I’m pansexual.”
“How come that doesn’t surprise me whatsoever?” Hen said with a chuckle as she brought Buck into a hug.
“I’m confused, what does pansexual mean?” Eddie asked, his heart pounding in his chest.
“It means that I don’t care about the gender of the person, it’s just if I’m attracted to them, either sexual or emotional attraction.” Eddie’s throat feels dry as he swallowed. He had a shot them, slim as it may.
“Alright, now that is out of the way, I’m gonna get dinner started.” Bobby said.
They all split up and Eddie migrated to Buck’s side. Buck gave him a soft smile as they headed towards the couches. They sat down next to each other, and Buck turned on the TV.
“Do you think we can still have that talk after our shift?” Buck asked.
“I’m looked forward to it, Buck.” Eddie said giving Buck a smile.
“Good, is Chris good to stay with Pepa for a few extra hours?”
“Yeah, I’ll text her. What’s the plan, Buck?”
“You’ll see Eds.” Buck said just smiled as he handed Eddie a controller.