just a boys’ game
7x04 coda (silly version) | based on my tags on this gifset by @whattarush
“Have you talked to your brother lately?”
Maddie looks up from the tower of blocks she’s been building with Jee-Yun. Chimney’s leaning against the door way, gym bag slung over one shoulder and a hint of sweat still glistening on his skin.
She frowns. “Just the other day. Why?”
“Did you know about the basketball?”
“Oh, the part where he was jealous that Eddie and Tommy are spending time together doing something he doesn’t even like?” she asks.
Chimney points an accusatory finger at her. “So you did know! Why didn’t you warn me?”
“Warn you about—” she looks at him again, at the gym bag bulging suspiciously. Much like it would if it contained, say, a basketball. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes,” Chimney says, finally walking all the way into the living room. He sits on the other side of the pile of blocks and leans back on his hands. “He used me, Maddie. As a basketball beard.”
“Pretty sure that’s not a real thing,” she says, and Chimney sighs, dramatic and long-suffering.
“Basketball beard,” he says. “Noun. When you tell someone you want to play basketball with them, but you actually just want to use them as a cover to be where someone else is.”
“Is that how words work?” Maddie asks, grinning, and Chimney looks affronted.
“Words work however I want them to work,” he says. “Just ask Shakespeare, he made half that shit up.”
Maddie hums, a laugh nearly breaking through it. “Shakespeare, got it.”
“Oh, you should have seen it,” Chimney says, and accepts a block that Jee-Yun hands him. “Here? No?” he asks, and Jee-Yun sighs, just as dramatic as he had a moment ago, and takes the block back.
“That bad?” Maddie winces.
“I haven’t seen him act this embarrassing since—” Chimney narrows his eyes. “Since Eddie joined the 118.”
Maddie snorts. “Well, that tracks.”
“What do you—” Chimney’s eyes go wide. “Oh,” he says slowly. “Oh, I see.”
“Right? I’m not just imagining this?” Maddie asks. “You should have heard him going on about Eddie and Tommy the other day. Has this been under our noses the whole time?”
“I mean, it hasn’t been that long,” Chimney says.
Maddie frowns. “What do you mean?”
Chimney frowns, too. “What do you mean?”
“Did something change recently?” Maddie asks.
Chimney’s brows draw further together. “Okay, back up. Start from the beginning. What are you thinking?”
“Okay, so, Buck and Eddie and Tommy all met for the first time a couple of weeks ago when you went after Bobby and Athena,” Maddie says, counting it on a finger. “Eddie and Tommy started spending time together.” Another finger.
“With you so far,” Chimney says. “Honestly, makes sense they’d get along. Can’t believe I didn’t think of it before.”
Maddie holds up another finger. “The other day, Buck was sitting at our kitchen table talking my ear off about Tommy this and Tommy that and how even Christopher thinks Tommy is so cool.”
“Still following,” Chimney confirms.
“Buck tricked you into going to a pickup basketball he’s been dodging for years, because Eddie would be there with Tommy.”
“Yeah,” Chimney says. “Because he’s jealous.”
“Exactly,” Maddie says. “Jealous of—”
“—Eddie,” Chimney fills in, just as Maddie finishes her sentence.
“—Tommy.”
Chimney blinks. “You think—”
“Well, I did,” Maddie says, “But actually—”
“No, no, I think you’re onto something,” Chimney says. “He and Eddie have always been weirdly attached at the hip.”
“But he has been talking about Tommy an awful lot,” Maddie says. “It’s suspicious. You know he went to tour the helicopters the other day?”
“Bet on it?” Chimney asks.
Maddie grins. “You’re on.”
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911 7x04 spoilers
this is a really smart way to introduce the potential of buddie to non-shippers (regular viewers, non-fandom people, etc)
since they've moved to abc, i've been keeping in mind that they want to introduce the show to new viewers. buddie going canon in this ep would have been life-changing to people who've been watching since season 2, those who've been through the grocery divorce era and the clawing through mud and the shooting and the will and the three minutes and seventeen seconds. but if i just started watching s7, having them get together might not have made as much sense/impact, esp since the previous episodes weren't much focused on them (save ep 1 maybe?).
so, storytelling. it'd be very obvious to any viewer that buck was jealous over eddie in this episode, even if it wasn't clear to mr. i misunderstood the assignment. (and it was why the subversion of expectations w tommy and that kiss was very effective)
but buck getting to explore his sexuality and dating other men (and eddie possibly getting jealous) turns up the tension. it leans into the foundations of their relationship, which is definitively a slow burn. now, new and old viewers alike will get to see that chemistry unfold and fully enjoy how it plays out.
with bi buck being canon, we will be getting buddie as well, esp w s8 in the pipeline. now is the best time to let it develop as fully as it needs to instead of having a rushed moment just for the sake of finally making it canon.
dare i say this will be one of the best slow burns in television and im so glad i get to see it
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