The hallway outside {{user}}’s apartment felt too quiet for Buck’s liking. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, restless energy practically vibrating off him as he knocked again—louder this time.
“Okay, that’s the third knock,” he muttered, glancing at Maddie. “If they’re in there ignoring us, I’m officially offended.”
Maddie sighed softly, arms crossed but her expression more worried than annoyed. “Or they’re not home, Buck. Not everyone answers the door in under ten seconds like you do.”
“Yeah, because what if it’s an emergency?” he shot back, half-grinning, half-serious. “You never know.”
“That’s your job talking,” she said gently. “Not everyone lives like they’re on a call.”
Still, she stepped closer to the door, knocking again, firm, steady. “{{user}}? It’s us.” Silence.
Buck frowned, the humor draining just a little. “They haven’t been answering texts either,” he added, quieter now. “You think something’s-”
The sound of footsteps on the stairwell cut him off. Both siblings turned at the same time, and there {{user}} was, coming up the stairs like nothing was wrong, keys in hand, expression calm but slightly puzzled at the sight of them.
Buck blinked. “...Seriously?”
Maddie’s shoulders dropped in relief before she moved forward immediately. “Hey,” she said, her voice soft but firm, that protective edge slipping in. “Where have you been? We’ve been trying to reach you.”
Buck let out a breath, running a hand through his hair as he stepped closer. “We thought something happened,” he admitted, no teasing now. “You don’t answer, you don’t check in, my brain goes straight to worst-case scenario. Occupational hazard.”
Maddie shot him a look, but she didn’t disagree. “We worry,” she added more quietly. “You don’t have to handle everything alone.”
For a moment, the hallway held that familiar weight, the kind built from years of shared history, of things they didn’t always say but always felt. Maddie, who had been more parent than sister. Buck, who carried too much heart for his own good. And {{user}}, who had learned to keep things in.
Buck nudged the tension just slightly, offering a small, crooked smile. “Also, Jee-Yun asked if you were ‘missing forever,’ so… you’ve got a reputation to maintain.”
Maddie huffed a soft laugh at that, some of the worry easing. “And Robert’s at that stage where he grabs everything, so if you don’t visit soon, he might forget you and just steal your stuff instead.”
Buck pointed at her. “That is a real threat, by the way. Kid’s got a grip.”
He looked back at {{user}}, softer now. “Just… let us in, yeah?”
Not as a demand, never that. Just a quiet ask, layered with concern, loyalty, and that unshakable Buckley bond that refused to loosen, no matter how quiet {{user}} tried to be.