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#the buckley parents suck
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EDDIE, talking to the Buckley parents: You know what’s funny about Buck? He's my best friend, and anyone who’d hurt him is someone I’d murder, probably.
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menace-behaviour · 1 year
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Buck: I was put on this earth to do one thing.
Buck: Luckily, I was also given bad birth parents and ADHD, so I forgot what it was and I can do whatever I want.
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hollersparrow · 9 days
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just some 9-1-1 headcanons/plot bunnies
so i've kinda gone on a 9-1-1 deep dive that started out casual and rapidly turned into an obsession. a few things to note, i definitely think that buck and eddie have something (whether it's romantic or queerplatonic is up for grabs but there's something beyond friendship there and no one can convince me otherwise) and i am a strong subscriber to any tropes that strongly encourage found family/families so...make of that what you will
anyway, after binging all of the available episodes, i have several headcanons that i want to put out there (for some reason a lot of them are from season 5???)
ana realizing that there's more to eddie and buck's relationship than it seems in that scene from s5e2 when she brings christopher to the station. buck clocks that eddie has started panicking immediately and ana just like. *looks* at him for a few seconds in a way that just makes me think that this woman clocked that they have a deeper than normal connection to one another. that or she's heard about buck but obviously has never seen eddie and buck interact and is suddenly realizing exactly what people keep trying to tell her about
a buck/eddie-focused exploration of the aftermath of 'brawl in cell block 9-1-1'. buck freaking out once mitchell's been carted off to get his heart taken out and refusing to let eddie go anywhere while checking him for injuries, eddie having some uncomfortable realizations about just how affected buck was by the whole experience. personally, i feel that would lead to them actually talking about the sniper and all the mess that goes with it
lots of potential for temporary angst with eddie having a lot of big feelings about having failed as a husband in his marriage to shannon and not wanting to get married again b/c of it (thinks he doesn't deserve another shot at it? thinks there's something fundamentally wrong with him to where he can't? don't know how this would manifest exactly). personally, i see this eventually leading to him and buck realizing that they're more or less functionally married and they may as well reap some tax benefits from it but you can do whatever you want with that
buck goes to the funerals of many of the people who die on calls that he's a part of. it's mostly people that he directly worked on and he doesn't tend to tell anyone that he's a first responder that was involved (b/c of how devon's sister reacted in s1) but he does go to them.
kinda of tied to the headcanon above this but! buck getting adopted by a bunch of older queer folk following the deaths of mitchell and thomas in s2. he goes to the joint funeral that was planned for the two of them, in part b/c he wants/needs to and in part bc he accidentally took a few photos from the scrapbook from the scene (he shoved them in his pocket on instinct when thomas collapses). anyway, he shows up and the older queer community has rallied to show up at the funeral and they recognize him as someone who needs more found family and just adopt him into their ranks. i could see the 118 finding out about this soon after it happens or not until years later; maybe karen and hen finding out sooner than everyone else but buck asks them to keep it quiet?
s5e14 where jee-yun gets sick? what if it actually WAS leukemia and she somehow ends up needing some sort of donation (plasma? bone marrow? idk really anything about how cancer is treated). jee's put on a list and they start testing family members, none of whom work out until...buck. cue maddie not wanting to ask that of buck b/c of all the baggage that comes with daniel and the buckley parents are absolute assholes about it (along the lines of completely disregarding buck's autonomy as a human being in the face of their precious granddaughter being in trouble), maybe a chimney that isn't trying to be pushy about it but also just...can't help pushing a bit, a buck that so overwhelmed with everything that he's feeling that he goes off the rails a bit. obviously everything works out and buck donates or whatever needs to happen and jee-yun is completely fine b/c i don't actually want it to end badly
the entire 'buck's a sperm donor' family argument and maraget saying "you're a miracle baby yourself" made my fucking blood boil and i want to see a better exploration of the fallout of that statement b/c you just know that there was more to it than it just getting brushed off
buck telling maddie that he has a checklist that he goes through every time he wakes up post-coma in s6e12. chris and eddie being part of that list, where buck is just constantly checking up on them to make sure that they're still in LA (part of the reason why it's so easy for him to fall asleep/relax on the diaz couch or in their house in general). eddie doesn't notice the uptick in check-ins b/c he's too busy figuring out the least intrusive ways for him to check in on buck at all times b/c he NEEDS to know that buck is alive/breathing. once eddie notices though, he confronts buck about it
maddie asking buck to be her maid of honor for her wedding since hen is obviously going to have best man privileges. mostly just exploring the ridiculous that this brings up and everyone joking about buck in a dress (up to you whether he actually wears one to the wedding or not), but i have to include a side note that the buckley parents are dicks about it and have no sense of humour/fun
literally anything featuring athena being worried about buck as a maternal figure, i was so disappointed by her lack of interaction when buck was struck by lightning and, while i'm so fucking happy to have may acknowledging that buck is bobby's son too, we missed out on athena being devastated by the situation as well
there will probably be more of these to come at some point knowing myself.
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loveyourownsmiilee · 1 year
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No because if we somehow get Eddie at the Buckley family dinner, I will actually combust. Eddie there in support for his partner?!? Eddie there ready to take down the Buckley parents if they do much as say one negative thing about their son?!?! Stopppp it. I need this now.
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missfanaccount · 1 year
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The return of the Buckleys is gonna facilitate Bucks breakdown which will lead to buddie canon
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gingerpolyglot · 1 year
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I've thought more about it and I've decided that while I agree with everyone saying Chim and Buck are choosing to forgive their parents for themselves rather than the parents getting "redeemed," it still bothers me because it feels like we're not actually being shown that choice.
Chim deciding to reconcile with his father because Jee deserves a relationship with her grandfather is great, but we don't see him come to that conclusion himself - he's told that by other people. He decides he agrees with them in the scene where his dad is playing with Jee and that's great, but I think my frustration stems from the implication that other people know best - we're not given any indication that Chim wanted a relationship between Jee and his dad independently, especially given how many times we see or hear about Jee with the Lees, so it feels like something Chim caved on rather than chose.
With Buck and his parents...I can see where everyone is coming from and for me this one really comes down to dialogue choices. I hated the "you did the best you can" line, mostly because I think it should have been followed by "but I deserved better and it wasn't my fault." To me, that would have felt like forgiveness for Buck's sake, true healing for himself, rather than a new attempt to repair the relationship in a way that will ultimately still hurt him.
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mr-and-mr-diaz · 1 year
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I’ll Be There For You
a 911 young!Buck fic that’s been plaguing my mind for ages
All his life, Evan Buckley had an imaginary friend. Some of his first memories were with his imaginary friend. He was three, left in his crib, tired from crying but too distressed to sleep, when a voice to his left made him turn. 
The face was kind, the voice familiar and yet strange. The hands reached but could not touch. But the soothing, loving tone was enough to croon Evan to sleep.
That voice was the only happy thing that he could remember. His parents didn't pay him much attention and when they did, it was weary and angry. Maddie gave so much love, but she was usually sad and Evan didn't know how to fix it, only that he loved her hugs. Nothing was better than snuggling up next to Maddie while that kind person who no one else seemed to notice was talking to him.
When he was five and words began to mean something to him, he spoke back. "Who are you?" But he only got a smile for his troubles and more kind words. You're special, kid. You're gonna grow up to be amazing some day, just you wait.
Like with everything in the world around him, Evan was all questions. "What should I call you?" And unlike his parents, his friend would answer. Whatever you want. "Why doesn't anyone else talk to you?", asked right after a tense dinner. They can't see or hear me, Evan. Just you.
"Can I tell them about you?" Evan asked as he brushed his teeth carefully, just the way Maddie had taught him. Next to him in the mirror, he noticed how much his imaginary friend looked just like him, except maybe a little older. His friend shook his head.
When he was six, his first grade teacher read a book to the class about imaginary friends. Evan was delighted, and raised his hand to tell everyone about his friend, but the teacher shushed him and kept reading. "...Of course, all imaginary friends go away as we get older. Then we make real friends and don't need them anymore."
Evan ran out of the classroom in a panic. He ran until he was in the empty schoolyard where no one else would see him turn toward his friend, tears streaming down his face. "You won't go away, will you? Please say I won't grow out of you! You're my only friend!" His friend reached out again, untouching hands hovering over Evan's cheeks. I'll stay as long as I can. As long as you need me.  "You promise?" I promise, Evan.
Evan cried himself into an exhausted sleep in the schoolyard, leaning against the slide. He was awoken by his friend's frantic voice. --van! Evan! Wake up, they're looking for you! 
He looked around, disoriented, before noting his mother, looking annoyed and angry, running toward him. "Oh no." He was definitely in trouble now.
It'll be okay. She's just worried about you. "She's mad. I hate when she's mad." Evan stalled in place, waiting for her to arrive and no doubt scream at him about how dangerous the world was, how stupid he was for staying here. "If I ever need to talk to you, what should I call you?" I said you can choose whatever you want.
"Evan!! That was irresponsible and dangerous of you! What on earth were you thinking...!" Evan's mom continued her tirade and Evan shrank back into the slide, leaning as close to his friend as he could. His friend reached out a non-corporeal hand and sat closer to Evan's side through it all.
She doesn’t mean it. But you don’t deserve to hear this either, Evan. 
Later, after he’d been dragged home and deposited in his room to think about his actions, Buck turned to his friend. “I hate the name Evan. It just makes me think about Mom or Dad yelling at me.”
His friend sighed. Makes sense. If you could pick a name, what would you choose?
“I dunno.” Evan shrugged. “Oh wait! Sal in class’s name is Salvator, but he hates that too, so we just call him Sal! I could do that too!” He hopped up and started pacing his room. “Okay, help me choose one!”
Hmmm. His friend’s forehead wrinkled as he thought. Evan’s already pretty short, so you can’t really shorten it more, unless--we could call you E? What about Buckley? You could be like James Bond, how he sometimes goes by his last name!
“Buckley.” Evan looked into the mirror. “Mmm, it’s just not as cool as Bond. Too long and clunky...”
What about Buck? It’s short and it’s still you.
“Buck,” Evan said into the mirror. He felt a grin spread on his face. “Yeah, I like that. I’m Buck.”
Hi, Buck.
“Now you pick a name for yourself.”
You can--
“I know, you already said that, but I’ve thought of so many names in my head, and none of them are right, and I just want to know what you want to be called. Everyone has a name. You should have one too.”
His friend hesitated. But not like he was thinking of name. More like he’d already chosen one and was debating whether or not to share. Finally, he spoke. 
Daniel. You can call me Daniel.
Tell me if this is something you’d want to keep reading!
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sir3n-s · 11 months
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Italian Steve Harrington hcs because why not:
He was born in Italy (ovbisouly) but moved to hawkins when he was around 10 or 11.
He speaks fluent Italian, it's his first language, which is why he asks what certain words mean so much. He's still expanding his English vocabulary.
He always writes his notes in Italian, he was forced to stop writing in Italian at school but after he graduated he started again. Robin keeps trying to read his little notes but she doesn't know Italian yet. (He has a journal that's in Italian because he knows Robin keeps trying to read it)
He teaches Robin Italian because she wanted to learn. Mainly so she could understand what he mumbles.
When he's stressed, scared, or angry he'll start rambling/yelling in Italian. No one understands him but Eddie always gets him to calm down. Robin does too but for some reason Eddie does it the best. Unless he's arguing then he has to be reminded to speak English.
He's an amazing cook, everything he makes is good. Steve tries his best to introduce everyone to certain Italian dishes.
He has several of his grandma's old cook books.
During the holidays his parents force him to fly out to Italy to see the rest of his family. After the age of 13, his parents are already there waiting for him.
He insults people in Italian so they don't understand him. Dustin, Mike, and Robin are normally the victims.
Sometimes he'll just switch into Italian and has to be reminded to speak English.
He loved living in Italy but refuses to move back because all of his friends (family) that matter live in Hawkins.
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steddieas-shegoes · 11 months
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Nother Idea: Steve has a really bad migraine when he sees his parents for the first time post spring break from hell. He is still recovering from his injuries & his parsnts don't know how to help him. He is in tears begging his father or mother to get him Rob or Eds. And they have no clue who that is. The other parent finds a note by the main house phone and one by his bedroom phone with the names Robin & Eddie with their numbers. And they watch their adult son get coddled by a lesbian and a metalhead. Bsjsjcjdjd maybe they find out about the UD???
I TOOK A BREAK FROM PLANNING OUR WEDDING FOR THIS MY LOVE!!! You know how I feel about migraine Steve and you know how I feel about some good old hurt/comfort and how I feel about Steve's parents just being shitty always. It's like you wrote this request from MY BRAIN. It's a bit shorter than I could've done, but I am rushing out the door at this point and wanted to have it posted today in case I can't tonight. Hope you love it!!! - Mickala ❤️
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Luck was never on Steve’s side.
He hadn’t slept more than a few hours in weeks, his brain and body constantly running through checklists of things he had to do and people he needed to check on.
It was catching up with him in the form of the worst migraine he’s had in months.
And now his parents were home.
He could hear them talking downstairs, their voices carrying and making Steve wince against his pillow.
He managed to close his curtains when he got up to use the bathroom this morning, but hadn’t managed to do anything else. Including close his door.
He hadn’t really expected that to be an issue since he was alone all the time.
His parents hadn’t been home in nearly six months. They hadn’t even bothered to call when the “earthquake” hit.
He kept his eyes closed in hopes that they wouldn’t bother him, maybe they’d even close his door for him if they thought he was asleep.
Wishful thinking.
His dad’s booming voice was suddenly right next to him, echoing around his room and his head.
“It’s the middle of the damn day, Anne! He can’t sleep his life away!”
Steve let out a groan, burying his head as far into his pillows as he could to avoid some of the noise.
His father would give up eventually, probably call him something terrible, be disappointed, the usual. But he’d leave, and Steve could bask in the peace and quiet again.
“Do you hear me, Steven? Anne, he’s ignoring me!”
Steve groaned again as he heard his mother’s voice from the doorway.
“Richard, he’s clearly hungover. We should come back later.”
Steve loved that idea. If they left, he could try to sleep this migraine off.
“I’m not just leaving him! He has to act like a responsible adult someday, Anne. We don’t pay for this house for him to spend his days hungover in it.”
“Not hungover.”
Steve’s voice was muffled against the pillow, his head pounding with every movement of his lips, but he knew he had to at least try to stick up for himself.
“So you’re just a useless sack in the middle of the day on a Thursday for no reason, then?”
Steve let out a whine at the sharp pains shooting through his head.
“Eddie. Call?”
Words were hard when your head was trying to implode on itself.
“Who is Eddie? Is that the person who got you drunk? I will not be calling this Eddie person, and I expect you to be up, showered, and dressed by the time we are back from our business dinner. Do you understand?”
“Robin.”
“Isn’t that your girlfriend? Is she responsible for this?”
Steve wanted to scream that the people responsible for this were dead or Russian spies who were hopefully dead and no thanks to either of his parents, he often spent days like this.
Not as often since he practically had Robin and Eddie living with him, but enough.
“No. Eddie.”
“Eddie isn’t your girlfriend.” Anne was closer now. “Do you need medical attention? You’re not making any sense. Oh goodness, Richard, maybe he’s having a stroke.”
His side was pulsing. Eddie said his did too sometimes, a casual reminder that they’d been nearly eaten alive. The pain wasn’t nearly as bad as his head, though.
He needed to get to his phone so he could call Eddie.
Eddie knew what to do to help. He wouldn’t be scared of his parents.
Just as he started to move his head so he could try to roll out of bed, he heard his mom speak again, much lower, probably directly to his dad.
He had extremely sensitive hearing when he had migraines, though, so he could still hear what she was saying.
“This note has those names with phone numbers. Maybe we should call them?”
“It’s just a hangover. He has to man up.”
“It just seems like more than a hangover. He’s in real pain.”
“You do what you want. Coddle him if you must. I have a business dinner to get ready for.”
He heard his father leave the room, but didn’t bother moving.
His mom was suddenly talking into the phone.
“Is this Eddie? Yes, this is Anne Harrington. Steve’s mom, yes. He had your number written down by the phone. He’s asking for you and he seems to be quite hungover. It’s not? Oh. Oh. Okay. Well, could you come keep an eye on him, then? I would appreciate it. I could pay you.” Steve heard yelling on the other end and tried to smirk, but his face was in too much pain. “Okay, see you soon.”
“Steve? Eddie’s coming. He didn’t want any money or anything to sit with you, but I’ll leave some on the counter just in case.”
“Loves me.”
“What was that?”
Steve turned his head to the side so he could say it again, emphasize to his mother that people actually loved him.
“He loves me.”
He was met with silence, but he was happy about it, his head still finding new ways to hurt even after 100 migraines.
His mom left the room, but he knew Eddie was coming, so he rested.
When he woke up, Robin’s hands were in his hair. She was gently combing through it, from scalp to ends, being careful to avoid any tangles that may have been hiding.
“Robs.”
“Hey Dingus,” she whispered, knowing he couldn’t handle normal talking voices when it was this bad. “Gave Eds and I quite a scare having your mom call, you know.”
“Sorry. Couldn’t.”
“I know. It’s okay.”
“Eddie?”
“He’s downstairs giving your parents the riot act while he unloads groceries. He’s pissed.”
“At me?”
“No, never you. He’s got your extra strength pain meds that you were out of though.”
Steve had forgotten to get more last time he went to the store and he admittedly wouldn’t be this bad off if he had them ready to go when he woke up this morning.
But Eddie always took care of him and Robin always took care of him, and he was allowed to not have to do everything for himself anymore.
“It’s like you don’t even care that he’s hurt because of fucking government conspiracies!”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Robin’s hand froze as they listened to Eddie and his dad go back and forth.
“The Russians almost killed him! Where were you? Not fucking here! The monsters almost killed him! Where were you? Probably on a business trip or whatever it is you rich fucks like to do with your time that should be spent checking in on your son.”
“Oh boy,” Robin slowly started to get up, causing Steve to whimper. “I’m gonna send him up here to cool off. Just breathe.”
So he did. He breathed in, then out, in, then out.
He did that until he felt Eddie’s hands in his hair, lips on his forehead.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered against his hair. “Brought you some water and meds.”
“Yelling?”
“They deserve it. But don’t worry about that right now. Just take these pills and sleep. I got ya.”
“Got me.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, always got you.”
He could hear Robin yelling downstairs now, but he didn’t focus on it, following Eddie’s advice and sitting up just enough to swallow the pills and half a glass of water.
As he fell asleep, he heard Robin whispering to Eddie.
“He’s got us, at least.”
“Yeah, he does.”
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steventhusiast · 1 year
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saw a tiktok of a guy playing acoustic guitar in the wind and letting the wind add to his music and it got me thinking about steve being able to play guitar.
he’s private about it, keeping his acoustic guitar delicately in its case at the back of his closet unless he’s playing it. it’s partly out of fear for his parents’ reactions if they knew he still had the guitar, and partly because playing is one of his coping mechanisms and he doesn’t want to taint how much it helps him by sharing it with others.
the guitar itself is nothing extravagant at a passing glance, but steve has had it since his grandma on his mother’s side passed away and left it for him. his mother had been so happy for him to have it at first when he was 8 and too small to properly play it, telling him about her own childhood full of acoustic songs on the porch and in front of the fire. but that had been before she found out about his father’s affair and had blamed it on steve… she doesn’t seem to care about him and his guitar anymore, or maybe she’s just forgotten.
playing first became a huge coping mechanism for him after the first upside down incident. his whole world view had been destroyed, and he had anxiety lingering in all of his limbs, so he took his guitar up to the roof of his empty house and just sat there and strummed. he never played any specific songs, but after that first night on the roof he noticed how the wind changed the sound of his guitar and added to it. it was like the wind herself was saying “it’s okay, i see you, i hear you” and adding more to the music he played. it calmed him down immensely.
so, whenever he’s upset or his bones felt too big for his body, he finds himself on his roof with his guitar.
robin is the first to find out. she comes to visit him one evening after he doesn’t answer the phone (he’s too busy on the roof) and practically screeches when she bikes up to his driveway and sees him perched on the roof. it’s dark already, so she can’t see the guitar or the peace on his face, she just sees her best friend on the roof, too close to the edge of it for her comfort.
she assumes the worst, but steve is quick to placate her as he climbs down and goes downstairs to let her in. he shows her his little secret, and even takes her up to the roof with him. tells her to listen for the wind, and ignores her baffled and disbelieving look in response. minutes later, she’s swaying gently and quirking her brows every time the wind adds something to the aimless strumming.
eddie finds out next, but much less dramatically. he and steve have been dating for about a month when he stumbles across the case in steve’s closet as he’s making fun of all the polo shirts hung up.
“my, my, who is this beauty you’ve been hiding?” is all eddie needs to say for steve to know he’s found her. he’s shy in response, because this feels different to robin finding out. robin knows music, sure, but eddie is pretentious about music. and steve’s not the most technically skilled, he just plays what feels good. nothing extravagant or metal like eddie’s used to.
but eddie presses gently, seeing the shy flush to his boyfriend’s cheeks. he wants to know more, urges steve to show him, can tell it’s special to him. so steve indulges him, takes his hand and drags his boyfriend and the guitar case up to the roof. eddie’s much sillier about the wind, in an adorable way. steve tells him about how the wind accompanies him and makes him feel heard, so eddie smiles up at the sky and talks to her.
“thank you for takin’ care of my baby, lady wind. can i hear you sing with him?”
steve just looks at him, baffled for a minute, because even robin (his platonic soulmate) had seemed doubting of how much the wind comforted him and aided his music, but eddie just. is all in, immediately. trusts steve, knows it’s important to him.
so steve plays, and the wind sings, and eddie taps along. his guitar still feels private and secret, but he feels comfortable that maybe more people than just the wind should hear him sometimes.
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Steve: He said yes!
Robin: You asked Eddie out?!
Steve: What? No, not yet
Steve: I finally got a hold of my dad and asked if he hates me
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italiansteebie · 2 years
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Cotton In My Ears
***EDITED 9/5 for clarity and accuracy***
“Steve,” Robin sing -songs as she walks into Family Video. He’s got his back turned away from the door, and he doesn’t even flinch when the bell jingles, signaling someone's arrival. She arches her eyebrow at the notion that her best friend is ignoring her. “Steve!” She says a little louder, clearing her throat for good measure, and once again, Steve doesn’t respond. She grumbles to herself and punches Steve lightly on the shoulder, “Quit ignoring me, asshole!” 
Steve jumps so hard when she does this, she almost feels bad, did he really not hear her? “Robin! You scared me, I didn’t hear you come in!” He said, clutching his chest, showcasing his dramatic self. “I said your name like a hundred times!” She says exasperatedly, and Steve just shakes his head, smiling fondly at her. “You did not, Rob.” He laughs, and walks away, moving to another display to resume his restocking duties. 
Robin clocks in and tries not to think about the odd interaction for the rest of the day, but as she watches Steve during their shift, she can’t help but get a little curious. Is Steve really deaf? After all this time… Can he not hear? How did it go unnoticed all this time? Surely his parents would have noticed? Robin decides to keep an eye on the elusive boy, she’s determined to get to the bottom of his strange behavior.  
Over the next few days, she doesn’t notice anything strange about Steve, he’s just… Steve. But he always prefers to face people when they’re talking, and he doesn’t respond all that much when she speaks to him on his left side. These aren’t new things though, is it possible she’s missed these things? Brushed them off like everyone else? The guilt weighs heavy in her chest, she needs to bring out the big guns.
Dustin Henderson.
She dials his number, having gotten from Steve after their “just incase” phone number trading session, for someone who can be a little bit of an airhead, Steve is pretty smart, considering everything. Just that though makes her heart break, maybe he just couldn’t hear all those things he was being taught in class. “Fuck,” she says to herself while listening to the phone ring. “Hello?” Claudia Henderson answers the phone, “Hi! This is Robin- I’m uh. I'm friends with Dustin!” She rambles out quickly, itching to start the conversation. “Oh, okay. Give me just a second, dear!” Robin hears some rustling, and she pulls the phone away from her ear as the cheery lady shouts on the other side of the line. “Dusty! Phones for you!”  There's a pause and more rustling, she can hear Dustin, “Yeah, thanks mom. -Okay, okay! Yes, okay! I won’t take too long. Okay. Yeah, I’ll be at the table for dinner right after this- Okay! Mom, please.” 
Robin giggles at the bickering on the other side of the call, but she’s reminded of the task at hand when Dustin’s voice crackles over the speaker. “Hello? If this is Steve just meet me at our talking place,-” Robin cuts him off, “Dustin! It’s Robin- Wait. you and Steve have a talking place?” 
“Well- Yeah. He can’t hear over the phone y’know?”
“Yeah, that’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about! What is all this about Steve not being able to hear?”   
She hears Dustin sigh and shift the phone from one hand to the other, “I'm really not supposed to tell anyone about this but,”
There's a pause and Robin listens intently. “Steve is hard of hearing, always has been, with the trauma and everything… It just got worse. Look, Robin. I'm only telling you this because you noticed, it’s not surprising how long it’s taken… He’s really good at hiding it. Too good.” There’s a beat of silence as Robin takes in the information, everything has clicked into place. “Hey, I gotta go, my mom wants me for dinner. You should really talk to Steve though. He’s more open about it now…” He trails, and without waiting for her to respond he hangs up, leaving Robin in the quiet of her room. 
She thinks back to Ms. Click’s class, how he always talked really loud, even when he was “whispering” and he always looked at the person's lips while they were speaking. She attributed all these things to Steve being a douche, or a huge flirt but she was wrong. Her whole world view came crashing down at this moment, how many views had she made herself believe out of hate for another person? Sure, Steve did some dick things, but maybe… Maybe it wasn’t always just his horrible personality. She knows this doesn't excuse some of his actions, like the whole thing with Jonathan, but… But, maybe the traits she's come to hate the most are things he can’t help. And suddenly she felt guilty for how mean to him she was his first couple of weeks at scoops, she just thought he wasn’t paying attention, she thought he was being dense on purpose to make fun of her. 
Tears pricked at her eyes, in her quest to avoid assholes and douchebags, she almost became one. “Fuck.” She whispered again, she was still holding the phone and the dial tone rang out from the speaker, she set it back in its rest and scrubbed a hand over her face. She really needed to talk to Steve. 
The next day she walks into their shared shift, running her speech through her head over and over in preparation for the conversation, but the plan flies out the window when Steve turns to her with a look and says, “We need to talk…” Robin gulps, she doesn’t mean to, but her throat feels like it’s closing and her heart is speeding hum. Steve must notice her change in mood because the next thing out of his mouth is, “Oh god. That sounded scary, I’m sorry- It’s. I just need to tell you something.” He rambles, and she smiles at him, letting her shoulders drop in relief. “I thought you were mad at me.” She says, eyes casting down at the floor, and Steve makes a confused noise, “Mad at you? I thought you were mad at me!” He says, punching out a breathy laugh.
“What? Why would I be mad at you?” She says, returning the exasperation. Steve looks sheepish, “I know… Sometimes it seems like I’m ignoring you… But I- I promise I’m not!” Robin knows what's coming, next but she lets Steve take a shuddering breath and continue telling his story.
“When I was younger, my parents hated me… They thought I wasn’t paying attention but… I just couldn’t- I couldn’t hear them, and. I when I told them that they said I was lying… So I figured they were right. When I was in fourth grade the school did that… Hearing test thingy and I failed it.” He pauses, eyes shifting, he runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Well, they found out I wasn’t lying and that was almost worse. They didn’t do anything, they just lived life like it was normal, and then they started leaving me alone not long after that.” Robin’s eyebrows furrow as she listens to Steve recall his childhood. “I worked really hard by myself to learn how to read lips, and I tried to learn sign language but- It’s really hard without a teacher and,” Steve takes a deep breath, pausing for a second. “I couldn’t- It’s Hawkin’s, you know? I didn’t know anyone else who’s deaf or whatever and I just. I didn’t want to be the odd one out. So… I tried really hard to fake it, you know?” And yeah, Robin knows.    
Robin frowns, opening her mouth to say something, but Steve continues before she gets the chance, “So… So, long story, trauma dump short… I’m deaf. Well hard of hearing technically, but. I just. I wanted you to know that I’m not ignoring you. If I was, you’d know it,” He jokes, trying to lighten the somber mood, but Robin isn’t letting him change the conversation just yet. “Steve, your parents suck, and I’m sorry, you deserve better. And as for your hearing, we can think of ways to let each other know were here so I don't accidentally sneak up on you.” She says, and Steve cracks a watery smile at this, “Thanks, Rob.” He says softly, pulling her into a tight hug, which she gratefully returns. 
—--------------
From then on out, they have a system that works, it works great, so she passes it on  to Dustin too. And it works so well that Steve lets them share it with everyone else. And now there's lights that flash when someone walks in the door at Family Video, and when people are approaching Steve, they know to walk a bit heavier, so he can feel the vibration. And when they’re somewhere they have to talk quietly, they take the small notebooks Joyce bought for everyone and write back and forth. Eventually, Steve and Robin learn sign language together, Steve being a little more advanced having known a few signs already. That too catches on, and soon Steve’s family knows it too. His parents… They can’t be bothered, but his family, his real family, they care. And they learn because they want to, not because they feel obligated.       
NOTES: If there is anything I can do to make this more accurate to the deaf experience please let me know.
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menace-behaviour · 2 years
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*Buck seeing his parents*
Buck: My expectations were low but holy shit you found the basement.
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withacapitalp · 1 year
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Part two to this
Robin comes over on one of the night Steve’s has his parents' records on. Steve is more than halfway to drunk as hell when she lets herself in with the key he gave her months ago, calling his name until she finds him alone in the living room, a finished bottle of whiskey sitting by his feet. The house is so fucking empty, and nothing is fixing the cold settling in his chest, and he needs something to save him. 
She takes one look at his red flushed cheeks and slightly teary eyes, and then, before Steve can fully process what is happening, Robin is skipping across the living room floor and flinging her arms out towards him. She makes grabby hands until he reaches out, and when she has him in a tight grip, his best friend spins them wildly around the floor. 
She’s singing along to the song in the worst muppet impression she’s got, and Steve tucks her close to his chest. He can’t stop laughing, and he doesn’t even bother to try and hide away his joy the way he might have with anyone else. A delirious kind of love washes over them both, the easy warm kind that floods everything it touches with light.
“You’re my soulmate Robs,” Steve slurs out, and she pulls back just far enough to shoot a perfect beaming grin at him. 
“Don’t you forget it, Harrington. You’re stuck with me forever.”
Forever.  
Steve smiles the rest of the night. 
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ronancebyler · 7 months
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steve is an honorary buckley and nancy is an honorary munson. i rest my case.
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missfanaccount · 1 year
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Fic Rec time!!!
Fic: The Best Lie is a Truth (My Best Mask is My Face)
Author: letmetellyouaboutmyfeels 
Description: 
The Buckleys are celebrating their 50th Anniversary, and Maddie and Buck are both expected to come. To take the heat off Maddie, Buck impulsively blurts out that he's seeing someone new.
Obviously, there's only one solution: bring Eddie as his fake boyfriend, pretend to be in love with him, and survive the weekend with minimal bloodshed. No problem, except for the, uh. "Pretend" part.
Oops.
Chapters: 1/1
Words: 43164
Notes: Fake Dating AU! This one is a slow burn and soooo worth it. 
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