Brotherhood lasts a lifetime

Chapter 3

Buck had prepared himself for many, many outcomes. He prepared for any thinkable scenario. What he wasn't prepared for was to hear Hondo call out for him.

"Kid?", the older man asked hesitantly as he spotted him and Buck, he didn't know what to do. So his body decided to tense up. His legs gave up under him and if Street hadn't caught him, he would have hit the ground.

"Evan?", Street asked concerned. "Ev, what's going on?"

Street tried to get the attention of his boyfriend but Buck only had eyes for Hondo. Cristal blue eyes meet dark, calming brown ones and Buck started to cry. He couldn't stop even if he wanted. This was just too much. He wanted to vanish. Wanted to hide beneath his blanket and never crawl out from under it again.

Hondo couldn't believe his eyes. There in front of him stood Evan "Buck" Buckley. The man, he thought he had lost for good and would never hear from again. They had tried to stay in touch with the younger man. They really did. But the kid had cut them off. He hadn't wanted to stay in contact. And they had respected that. Even though it had hurt. They had seen how he struggled, shortly before he had efficiently broken any rare contact by getting a new phone number. Seven years ago he had last heard from the kid and now he stood, or more kneeled in Hondo's backyard.

"Are you really here?", the younger man asked whispering. Like he couldn't believe his own eyes. And it was all that Hondo needed to sprint towards the kid and take him from Street's arms into his own.

The hug was the warmest Buck had felt in a while. He let himself melt into it. He let himself feel it.

Don't get him wrong. He got hugs. I-am-your-sister-hugs from Maddie. You-are-my-best-friend hugs from Christopher. Thanks-bro-hugs from Eddie. And I-love-your-hugs or I-am-here-for-you-hugs from Jim.

But this? This was different. This was Hondo. And Hondo's hugs always made him feel better. Made him feel safe. And if he would be honest with himself he quite actually missed the what-have-you-gotten-yourself-into-hugs. The hugs, that would tell him, that they, and especially Hondo and Steve would always be there for him.

Street couldn't really wrap his head around what just happened. One second he is anxious about the reaction from his team, finding out he had a boyfriend since before he met them and then, yeah he really couldn't explain what just happened.

Hondo and his boyfriend hold each other in a tight hug, kneeling on the ground. Buck sobbing in Hondo's shoulder.

Did they know each other? Where could they know each other from? Did Hondo ever mentioned, that he had been in the military? He couldn't remember.
His teammates looked just as confused as he felt. Annie had the head to shoo her kids inside, the moment Buck started crying so it was just the team, and Buck left.

"Evan? Hondo? What's going on?", Street asked confused.

Neither of the men answered at first. Slowly they hauled each other into a standing position. Hondo was the first to loosen the hug. Slowly they turned towards Street.

"Remember how I told you about my two commanders dragging me, to... to Larrabee?", Buck asked hesitantly.

Still, after all these years he wasn't comfortable with telling people about his therapy. Even so, he knew it was nothing to be ashamed of.

Street nodded slowly not really knowing where this was leading.

"Well Hondo was one of them!" And that statement from Buck left Street blank.

"You... but... how...?" Street couldn't think properly.

Hondo chuckled. Clearly amused about the younger man's loss of words.