It was a typical day at the 118 firehouse. Buck was messing around with the guys, making sure no one had peace and quiet for more than five seconds. Eddie was mid-sentence explaining something important about the truck's new gear when the world seemed to slow down.
One second, Buck was standing by the coffee pot, and the next… he felt a sharp sting in his leg.
"OW!" Buck yelped, hopping on one foot as if he'd stepped on a Lego. "What the hell was that?!"
Everyone in the room froze, staring at him. Eddie immediately went into "Dad mode," his brows furrowed. "You good, Buck?"
Buck was still hopping around, trying to avoid the sharp pain that had shot through his leg. "I don't know! I think I got stung by something. Maybe a bee? A mutant bee?!"
Chim's eyes narrowed. "Buck, there's no bee in here."
"Then what—" Before Buck could finish his sentence, he stumbled backward and landed on the couch with a thump. His eyes widened in confusion. "Whoa, did the room just—? What's… what's happening to my legs?"
The world tilted and swam before him. He could feel the edges of his consciousness beginning to fuzz. "Oh no," he slurred. "I'm getting drunk on air…"
"Buck!" Eddie rushed over, but by then, Buck was already leaning back, limp, his arms flopping like spaghetti.
"Dude, what the heck?" Chim asked, kneeling beside him. "Are you high?"
"High?" Buck blinked slowly. "I'm—ugh—I'm really... really... tired..."
"Tranquilizer dart," Bobby called out from the doorway, a grim expression on his face. He'd been watching from across the hall, where he'd been getting some paperwork done. "Get him on the ground, now."
Buck, now entirely horizontal on the couch, tried his best to smile. "Guys, I feel... I feel like a raccoon who's been sedated by a bad vet..."
"We need to figure out who did this and why," Bobby said, his hands on his hips. "It's not safe here. Everyone, get ready."
But as he said it, a loud thump came from the outside. Then another. The guys stiffened, exchanging worried looks.
"Perimeter's set," Bobby muttered.
"Perimeter?" Eddie repeated. "What, like... a fence?"
"No," Bobby said, glancing out the window. "I'm talking armed perimeter. They've set up outside—no one's getting in or out."
"Great," Chim groaned. "We're trapped with a knocked-out Buck."
Buck let out a slow, dramatic sigh, almost like he was in a deep existential crisis. "I didn't ask for this, guys. I just wanted to fix the sink... Why am I always in the middle of stuff? I'm a fireman, not a target practice dummy…"
As the team began strategizing their escape, Buck half-heartedly waved one of his arms. "Tell me I'm not going to wake up in the middle of a police raid wearing a party hat. I don't want to get shot while I'm all... woozy."
"We'll deal with it, Buck," Eddie said, though there was the faintest trace of amusement in his voice.
"Thanks, Eddie," Buck mumbled, still with that same goofy grin. "This is the best Tuesday ever…"
A voice came over the intercom system, though the words were crackly. "We've surrounded the firehouse. No one leaves until we say so. Consider this a warning."
Bobby rolled his eyes. "Alright, we're dealing with amateurs. Let's get Buck settled while we plan."
And with that, they went into full-on superhero mode: Eddie, Chim, and Bobby began brainstorming ideas to outsmart the perimeter, while Buck continued to lazily comment on things that made no sense.
"I'm like a sleeping bear," Buck yawned, still lying flat on the couch. "And if you poke me, I'm gonna... I dunno, do something weird like write bad poetry."
"We'll be fine," Bobby reassured the team. "Just make sure no one gets too close to Buck. He might start singing 'I Will Survive' in his sleep."
From his prone position, Buck raised one hand in the air and started humming an off-key version of the song. "At first I was afraid… I was petrified…"
And so, amidst the chaos and the tense standoff outside the firehouse, Buck, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in, sang to his heart's content.
His team, on the other hand, was doing their best to plan their next move, knowing the situation was only going to get messier before it got better. But at least they had Buck's cheerful (if slightly drugged) commentary to keep things... interesting.