Thing about just clicking with someone and not having to put in the work is finding not making and those relationships - whatever form they take rarely last or manage to develop past a surface level.

Buck is such an all in or nothing kind of person that has had to fight for pretty much everything (when it comes to relationships of any form) he just cant comprehend that other people experience various levels of friendships or relationships more widely.

We see it in his training of Ravi, it comes out in his father son reltionship with Bobby, it’s part of the underlying reason the lawsuit happened and stems from his childhood abandonment issues. We even saw it in the other sneak peek where he’s with Tommy - he’s trying so so hard to make a friend that he comes across as slightly intense and focused. And while the worthwhile people will stay (the fire fam, his sister, Eddie) those who can’t take that level of focus will pretty quickly drop away, Abby and Ali are prime examples of this and even Taylor to a certain extent - she just didn’t care enough to be bothered by it.

It’s one of the reasons he’s oblivious to the fact his relationship with Eddie is different on multiple levels and it’s part of what makes Buck so interesting and why so many of us think he’s neurodivergent.

Okay, I know that I put up a post speculating about how Chris would interact with Marisol, but rewatching his conversation with Buck is making me think of a possible avenue the show could go with his feelings on Eddie and Marisol's relationship.

Earlier, I said that that I saw Chris being distant with Marisol and not making an active effort in getting to know her because her being with Eddie meant that they'd be seeing Buck less. But now? What if Chris still ends up being distant and not trying to form a connection with Marisol, not necessarily because he hates the relationship...

But because he's just waiting for her to walk out just like his mom did with him and Eddie.

And as much as I hate seeing Chris be hurt, Marisol leaving is necessary.

Because she's gonna be the last person to leave.

And Buck is gonna be the first person to actually stay.

I really hope this made sense.

Me: this one will be a slow burn I think

Eddie Diaz: no actually i need to tell him i love him immediately

walki with me... tommy kinard calling buck "baby"..... tommy kinard kissing buck..... tommy kinard gently holding buck's waist.... tommy kinard making buck laugh.... tommy kinard listening to buck ramble with stars in his eyes.... tommy kinard peppering kisses all over buck's face as buck blushes..... tommy kinard letting buck set the pace for their relationship..... tommy kinard calling buck "evan".... buck learning to love his own name because how can he not when tommy says it so gently..... buck sitting in tommy kinard's lap..... buck getting hurt on a call and tommy is there right away taking care of him.... buck waking up in the morning with his head pillowed on tommy kinard's chest as the sunlight streams in through the window and casts tommy in a sort of halo and his breath catches and buck is so happy he made it through his twenties and the tsunami and truck falling on him and the embolism and the lightning strike and any of other myriad of ways the universe has had it out for him because he gets to wake up to tommy motherfucking kinard in his bed as the sunlight gently cradles them in her embrace

("baby," tommy says, eyes still closed, less than two seconds later, hand brushing along buck's spine to card his fingers through buck's hair, "you're thinking too loud. go back to sleep."

buck honest to god flushes at the endearment. because that's what he is, tommy's baby. he's tommy's baby. jesus fucking christ, he feels like combusting. burying his head in his boyfriend's (boyfriend!!!) chest, buck tries not to whine.

"don't wanna," he whispers, peeking up at tommy, "wanna look at you."

tommy's other arm comes up to settle along his waist and buck wants to, fuckin', purr or whatever with how right it feels. tommy cracks open his eyelids to peer down at him.

"evan," his boyfriend (boyfriend!!!) says fondly.

and that's another thing he never knew about himself until he started dating tommy. he loves his name. not his nickname or his last name or buckaroo or any variant of that but his first name. he fuckin' loves the name "evan" or maybe he just likes the way tommy says it. and tommy has so many ways he says buck's name.

there's a soft, whispered "evan" in the mornings, and fond "evan" in the afternoons. there's an "evan" that tommy says like he's holding 3 tons of solid gold in his hands. there's an "evan" that he can barely get out through his laughs when buck bursts out with a fun fact at a wrong time. there's a choked-off, bitten, "ev-" when they're in bed at night and tommy can't believe buck is under him, gorgeous and panting. and there's the panicked "EVAN!" on a call gone wrong and there's an angry "evan" when buck doesn't take care of himself and there's a worried, two-syllable "ev-an" when he comes home with more bruises than he left with and there's-,

well the point is that there's a lot of different "evan"s that tommy says these day. he's going to catalogue them all one day. like his very own personal auditory archive. something to pull out on his off days.

"evan," tommy says fondly, "i'm not goin' anywhere sweetheart. i'll be here when you wake up. so go back to sleep, i'll be right where you left me."

and well-, buck forgets sometimes that this is a two-way street. that he may be tommy's baby but tommy's his boyfriend too. that tommy's practically required by law to be here when he wakes up. (oh by law?, he can almost hear his boyfriend snark. buck's bites the inside if his cheek to stop himself from giggling.) and more than some vague, ephemeral, Boyfriend Laws™️, tommy wants to be here when he wakes up. this is something tommy is actively choosing to do.

so when tommy says, "go back to sleep sweetheart" and "i'm not going anywhere, evan", well, who is buck to question that? he burrows deeper into the warm cocoon tommy has made, and let's his boyfriend's heartbeat lull him back to sleep.)

The unnecessary hate towards Tommy after this episode when we barely had any interaction between the two is bothering me in the same way that people hating Lucy just bc she kissed Buck once was bothering me. Lucy was (still is) an amazing character and she did not deserve any of the hate she got.

Eddie: You and Tommy have the right idea..

Me: ha?? are you saying what I thi-

Eddie: Stay single. Hang out with the boys.

Kid.

If (and there is much emphasis on that if) that kitchen scene of Buck and Eddie does involve one of them saying ‘brother’ to me it is the biggest misdirect ever. Like sure those may be the words, but the lighting, intimacy, looks and hand placements scream otherwise. And Ik it’s just two out of context stills so I can’t really know anything at this point. But. it could be like one last moment of denial before a probable revelation at the end of the season by one of them that actually they don’t see their relationship this way.

I'm gonna need ppl to properly tag ships on ao3, cause it's starting to feel intentional at this point

why am i legitimately nervous about tonight's episode, like my chest is tight about it

That graveside Buddie conversation is making me insane because they are NOT on the same wavelength. They're trying to be, but Buck is questioning everything about himself and Eddie is going through it but they are still each other's person even when the rough edges don't fit together quite right but there is SO MUCH they aren't ready to talk about.

And then to follow it up with that scene with Christopher? Where Eddie left for just a second to go bring him something from the kitchen for them to share together, only to come back and find him passed out on the couch?

The way Eddie has love, has a family, but he still feels alone because Christopher is growing up and Buck hasn't been the same since the lightning strike and the shape of his family is growing and changing around him but he still feels stuck and I'm -

I hope to see more of Natalia in season 7 of 911 when it eventually comes out because i want to see them develop her more. I found her interesting in her few episodes and I’d love to have more characters from outside the main group.

The thing about my most beloved buddie trope going from friends to married and skipping dating altogether is that i DO think Buck would have a slow roll break down about it over the next few months, feeling like Eddie rushed into it and is not going to want to keep doing this with him and feeling like he’s not good enough for him etc, BUT then after he calms down and they work through it he just gets so much more relaxed and confident in general. Sure of his place! Loved and cared for! Married life would be so good to him I just know it!

.

honestly Tommy distancing himself So Quick after that date makes him so much more interesting to me and now I actually do wanna write about him