#if buck says that to eddie at any point I will actually absolutely lose my mind

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH STILL FREAKING OUT OH MY GOSH

Y'all I'm losing it

HUAAAGHAHHHHHHHHHHHHH FIRST DATE

LOL YEAH I'M TENSE TOO

AUGUHAH HE'S ADMITTING IT FIRST DATE WITH A MAN OHHHH MY GOSH I'M NOT OKAY LOL

THIS BETTER BE AN ACTUAL DATE BC THAT WOULD BE AWKWARD

SPFIENAIMCLS IT'S A GROUP DATE

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH EDDIE'S HEREEEEE

OR IS IT ON ACCIDENT MAYBE O.O

IS HE GONNA THINK THEY'RE JUST THERE AS BUDDIES O.O (BUDDIE LOL)

OR IS HE GONNA THINK HE WAS BI THIS WHOLE TIME BUT BUCK WAS THE ONE WHO DIDN'T KNOW

Oh my gosh I'm freaking out

I'm not okay

What the heck

(edit starts here)

Ope a guy with his hand

OPE OH GOSH

That's not good o.o

Not really matching your message sir xD

Oh goshh o.o 😳😬

OH GOSH BUCK

Me when I saw the promo again a little while later: OH MY GOSH HOW DID I FORGET THAT BIT

Gosh. Wow

(end of edit)

Okay, that's the last of my last thoughts, now it's time for the. . .

REVIEW

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I'm not okay

I LOVED THIS EPISODE SO MUCH!!! OH MY GOSH. This is the anti feeling to last night when I watched tgd and the end killed me for an entirely different reason THE GAYS ARE WINNNINGGGGGG!!!! I'm not okay. Anyway IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! Genuinely though all the plots throughout were really good and there were a TON of good moments. Plus the crossover with The Bachelor was GREAT lol. I need to go back and watch those first two minutes but I will update the post slfjdfhs. Now, I'm going to make a quick celebration post and maybe rewatch that clip if possible, and then I'll be back because I can't possibly put off this review xD. Oh my gosh I'm having so many thoughts.

OKAY AAHHH HI ME FROM THE NEXT DAY I was literally freaking out so much (and still am) that I couldn't do it and I kept procrastinating and then I fell asleep lol xD. I have continued to procrastinate (and I had things to do) but!! Here I am :)).

First though, I'm going to go back to the promo bit and add the second half because apparently I completely forgot about it, and I have since watched it a couple of times xD.

Okay!! Now, let's talk about some other bits of the episode xdd.

The Bachelor crossover was so fun!!! I've never seen The Bachelor lol but it was a great story, great call xD. And everyone freaking out SLFKGHDKS!! Maddie and Josh fighting over the call to Chimney giving them spoilers to Eddie siccing the girls on Buck to Bobby and Hen going 👁️👄👁️. And that poor girl xdd. Also the "Do I have to?" "I wouldn't" just killed me xDD. Glad she's okay though :)). Sucks she'll never have her chance lol. But hey, she got to talk to him :)!! Wild xD. Anyway, I think was a super fun thing to throw in there for the 100th episode :DD. It's also interesting to see a reality show crossover with a fiction show xD. Had a fun time with it!!

Maddie and Chim!! They were so funny at the beginning xD. Her sending the 118 was wild lol. Also I loved her face to him later when he was talking about how cool Tommy was right after Buck was complaining about him (😏😏) xDD. They're idiots your honor lol <33. Anyway, Chimney slayed on the calls today 🥰. Especially figuring out the head trauma for that poor woman! Nice job my guy :)). Also, I didn't notice it until I saw subtitles later but "I'm your basketball beard" AUGHWUOGIH!!!! XDD SLFJDGLKDS HE'S SO WILD FOR THAT O.O. Anyway he did genuinely slay, loved him supporting Buck lol :)). I'm sure there was some brother in law bonding in there xD. Maddie slayed on calls too!! I really loved her conversations with Buck though :D :)). The brunch one was sweet and kind of silly, plus the "Is it circled with a heart?" line was SO GOOD LOL SLFJDHS XDD. Idiot <33 (Buck more than anything but it's all affectionate I promise). Also I really loved Maddie's reaction to Buck talking about maybe accidentally purposefully injuring Eddie. It completely makes sense for her character and I'm really glad it was in there, it added some great depth <33. Though the storyline itself has depth!! Especially after the ending lol. Anyway, poor Maddie with her story about the Sarah's :(( xd. That sucks :'(. I do kind of know how it is (not quiiite as close) and it really can be awful xd. Dyeing your hair is a wild step xD. Plus SLFKGJDS "I would've changed both names" oh my gosh XDDD 💀. Also nice on her for calling Buck out for acting like a teenage girl lol. Anyway, love her, and Chimney <33.

Hen and Ravi!! We didn't see much of either of them this episode but they were great :DD. Poor Ravi xD. Bro had no clue what was going on with anything ever lol. He didn't even know who Tommy was! After all the drama he caused!! Poor guy's out of the loop (well for the drama he would cause, is what I meant) lol. They both slayed this episode though :DD!! Hen was great on the house invasion call and the Bachelor call :)). Love them <333.

Bobby, Athena, and Harry!! AYYY Harry :DD!! Welcome back man 🥰. Seeing him greet Athena and Bobby was so nice :'D. It's nice to have him back :')). Sucks to have a change in actors (Marcanthonee will be missed!!) but I'm sure he's gonna be great :)). Elijah, I believe his name is? Welcome aboard dude :DD! Anyway, his return isn't under the best of circumstances o.o. Love Bobby knowing, or being suspicious yk, and called Michael (they are my besties your honor 🥰🥰, I love them <33). Also really glad he told Athena immediately and didn't turn to hide it or anything 😬 :)). Anyway, glad he was so supportive <33. That whole thing was wild though o.o 😬😬😳. It really sucks so much that that happened :((. Harry didn't deserve that, and he was totally valid in his anger and wanting to respond. I don't think he should've beaten the guy up, but I get it. It sucks that he was to be a representative but that's how it is :'((. Hopefully it'll change one day. Also his conversation with Athena about it all and whether she cares more about being a cop or his mom OOUFGH O.O. That bit hit HARD 😬😭. He did have a bit of a point, but I'm glad he apologized <33. And that Athena was more understanding the second time. On a lighter note, her waking up him by pouring a bucket of water on him was amazing LOL xD. Anyway, seeing his reaction to the video hurt so much :((( 😭😭😭💔. It really is awful to see yourself angry. I only tend it see it in writing and it still sucks and is hard xdd. But HALLELUJAH YAYY he's not being charged, at least with prison time that is :')). And he's sticking around :DD!! I'm sure it'll be difficult with Athena monitoring his community service and such but I think it'll be really fun storyline wise :)). Also Athena having to tell that mom that she shot her son 😭😭😭💔💔🥺🥺. That was so awful, I'm so sorry honey <33? And that poor lady 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔. Her acting was amazing <333. It's such an awful situation and I hope she manages to be as okay as she can be :'((. Pooe guy <33 he seemed great :'( :'). Anyway, love them all (the three I said lol) <33 🥰🥰.

It's time.

Well time to talk about the rest of it besides that one part of the ending lol.

Buck and Eddie, and Tommy!! BROOK this was so wild o.o xD. The jealousy was painful 😭, but I also kinda loved it, it was hilarious xD. It really sucks that Buck was feeling left out, and I do think they were kind of leaving him out, but I don't think it was at all intentional. Eddie invited him to basketball several times, and the other things were things he and Tommy already had plans for. He even seemed excited when he thought Buck was going to come to the fight with them (which that bit HURT by the way lol 💀)!! He did seem kinda shady asking Buck to watch Chris but I'm sure it was an accident xDD. He's just an idiot your honor lol <33. I do wish he was a little more obvious about not blaming Buck when he got injured, but like, he was in a whole lot of pain with a possibly broken ankle xD. It's understandable lol and I don't blame him. I also don't think Tommy was trying to exclude Buck! H was happy to see Buck throughout the episode, he gave him a tour, planned to give him flying lessons!! It was just a really unfortunate situation and Buck wasn't communicating (as he admitted at the end lol). Poor Buck though through all of it 😭😭💔🥺. I know it was kind of on him for not communicating but it just sucks being left out :((, I totally get it. You don't wanna say anything and be told you're overreacting or for people to think it's weird, and you don't wanna be possessive or anything, but it sucks and you miss them :((. I know how it feels xD xd. Still, I'm really glad he was getting aware of it, and he listened to the help from Maddie lol <3.

I think the conversation at the end was a really good way of wrapping it all up. Seeing everyone's side (Eddie's opinion given by Tommy but honestly he wasn't really as involved in the problem lol), and having everyone apologize. Also then them hyping each other up :')). I do find it interesting to see and outside perspective to the 118! We're so used to the family that is the 118 and the 126 that we don't really think about the fact that it's probably not like that for most people xdd. It wasn't even really like that when Tommy was there. And it makes sense for him to be jealous over it!! It's completely understandable and a really cool perspective to see :)). Although I will agree with Buck lol, he's pretty cool on his own lol.

Now, seeing as I was freaking out and forgot half the previous lines, I'm going to say what I thought/my reactions to a few specific lines and everything as it started to ramp up xD.

By the way, I have watched this scene (or at least parts of it) like. 20 times now. And some of it I'm still trying to remember as I freak out once again right now lol xD. So keep that in mind lol.

When they were talking about the mouths static was hilarious xD. In all fairness, it wasn't great lol.

And then the Muay Thai (I think that's how it's spelled?), the after flying lessons bit and "Not in the same day"??? AAAAHHHHHHHHH!! That's where I started to really get stressed and suspicious and in shock xDD. I was like um. what was that. XD.

And then. Buck admitting he was trying to get TOMMY'S attention o.o. I genuinely wasn't expecting it but looking back on the episode it all makes sense yk o.o. Honestly I don't think even Buck really realized that was it until during that conversation, especially given his tone shift. And the Tommy's face afterward 😭. Bro is surprised xD. And I'm going to be completely honest, I thought Buck was saying "I didn't mean my best friend" there and not "I did maim best friend" until like the tenth time I watched it o.o xDD. The first one was wild, a self denial of Buddie because he's oblivious xDD. The second one makes more sense but is equally as wild o.o lol. He's realizing that just before he says it xD. And maim is dramatic but he did injure Eddie 😬🥺. Anyway, the next bit.

You know.

The moment.

"My sister says there's better ways to get someone's atten-" AND HE K I S S E D HIM!!!!! WHEN. I. TELL. YOU. I. LOST. MY. MINDDDD!!!!

It was so wild oh my gosh. You can look at my liveblog for more freaking out about that xD (and probably later in this post lol. And also in anything I've reblogged about it xD). I can still barely believe it's real. That it happened xd. I realized a little while ago that I have no idea what I'd do if Buddie actually got together, and I felt some of that feeling here. We thought for SO LONG,l we wouldn't have it, had kind of lost hope, and then BOOM!!!! I know I had hope for this episode but it wasn't SERIOUS, not really!! Hope but "I expect it.not to happen, no matter how hard I hope xdd". And we may not have gotten Buddie BUT WE DID GET BISEXUAL BUCK!!!!!!! I'm genuinely still so happy about that oh my gosh. I meant to make a post earlier but I was grinning in the hallway at school xD.

Now, AFTER THE KISS WAS SO WILD TOO AAAAHHHHHH.

OKAY I'm back for a third time lol, later in the day xD. Had a lot to do but now I'm here!

Anyway AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I barely even registered the sus stuff they were saying beforehand because I was in such shock, and the same goes for afterwards xD. I was just SCREEEAMING!!

But!! Some of these being my thoughts having watched it 20 times, and some of them being what I thought at the time, THE MOUTH STATIC COMMENT 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️🥺 XD. Also we love Tommy asking if it was okay 🥺🥺🥺❤️🥰 :'). Anyway, it's the way Buck is just absolutely speechless. The only thing he has is the mouth static comment and that's it xD. All he had laid out lol. It's so cute to see him flustered and speechless :')). Also the fact that some of it comes from this revelation he just had (not just being a bi disaster, but discovering he's a bi disaster) is so good <333. And I just- YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! HE'S F R E E!!! AT 8 ON SATURDAY SURE BUT HE'S F R E E 😭😭😭😭😭💔❤️❤️❤️❤️🥺🥺🥰🥰😎!!! ACCIDENTAL SUNGLASSES BUT WE'RE KEEPING IT. LIKE THE WAY HE SAID IT AUGOAUHUGIH HE. IS FREE!!

I'm so not okay over that <33

Anyway I love that Tommy does all the talking lol, he knows Buck can't and is short circuiting but he still has a conversation with him xD :).

And just AAAAHHHHHHHH THEY'RE GOING ON THEIR FIRST DATE!! IT'S SATURDAY AT 8 BRO!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AUUUUAGHHHHHH!!

I mean I know you all do but you know lol.

Also Tommy telling Buck to call Eddie xD. Yeeeah, honestly seems like a good time to call and talk to him if he's on pain pills lol. Buck might have trouble speaking though, given he's still having a queer crisis xD. Kinda crisis, kinda discovery. Skipped some of that stage lol.

Buck's final look of the episode just destroys me :')). He's so baffled and happy your honor <33.

Now here's someone I'll say that I've been thinking of about the whole thing. Buck's tone changed, his vibe changed, something in his eyes changed, during that scene. Around the flying lessons bit xD. You can tell. I think he felt it, he just wasn't exactly sure what it was. And whatever he thought it was was probably terrifying (assuming he guessed correctly or knew lol). I think, if Tommy hadn't done something, he would've just let it go, let the moment pass. And, especially if he's done the same thing before, I think he would've pushed it away enough that he stopped thinking about it. I don't know if he has ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯. But it makes me think of a Buck who had Moments, who Wondered, and then dismissed them immediately because there was no way, he Couldn't. Or it was something he couldn't quite place. So he left it alone and forgot about it.

Idk. All I know is I don't think he would've made a move if Tommy hadn't lol, even if he was feeling the vibes xD.

Anyway, I've been genuinely so ill over all of this for literal days now. It's just past midnight on Friday for me lol. I'm just going so insane over it.

Today a question of the day in one of my classes was "What's a moment from tv/movies/musicals that impacted you?", you know something wild or epic or emotional or whatever, that impacted you. And, though it's far from the first time it's happened to me, I said this. Buck realizing he was bisexual. I don't think some people realize (though surely most of us on Tumblr do): This is a masculine, main character (honestly the main character) on an extremely popular mainstream television show, that after 7 seasons realized he was bisexual, and he's not a trope. It is profoundly impactful. Still definitely give credit where it's due to shows that have been doing it since the beginning (Lone Star, for example), but this is huge. They finally CAN do it. And I'm so happy for them, and proud of Buck :')).

Also quick note I just love how much Oliver is committed to and knows his character. The fact that he withdrew media wise because he agreed with us?? Wild. But he genuinely loves Buck so much, probably more than any of us, and he fights so hard to do him right <33. I'm so proud of, but more importantly, happy for him :')). He's been waiting so long for this and he totally deserves it, he absolutely slayed it <33. His acting was AMAZING, as always. I mean it's always great but this was just top both xD :'D. Anyway, thank you Oliver <3.

And thank you to everyone else on the show who worked to make this happen!!! And everyone in the fandom who fought for this!

I still genuinely can't believe it xd. It's just- amazing <3.

Also, quick think on Buddie: I do still want Buddie long-term. But I think Buck and Tommy could be cute, and no matter what I'm just excited to see where it goes for now :)). I actually kind of think it's better that Buck doesn't date Eddie first, for him and for us (a likelihood of them staying together). He needs to discover/explore/understand this new part of himself, and that might require branching out a bit :). Plus it's just good for him to get to be out there and live how he wants to, not worrying about endgame right now. I think Buddie will happen one day, but for now I am absolutely happy with this <333. I think it's gonna be great, and I am so excited :D.

One last scream:

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode! It was sooo good, and not just The Moment. All the calls were cool and interesting, including the crossover, which was fun. Everyone's individual storylines were good, and even through a lot of silly moments, packed and stuffed with emotion :'). Plus all the little throwbacks to episode 1, and the series in general, were great and really awesome :'DD. Also, just thinking about the impact of the kiss being in the 100th episode <33. Wow. So insane (me) <33. Anyway, Buck and Tommy was wild but they were cute, I'm glad Buck and Eddie are doing better. I'm also glad everything got worked out between Athena and Harry <33. The situation sucks but I think we made the best out of it :')). I loved the Buck and Maddie interactions and moments this episode, they were great <33. I wish we got a few more team moments, or full family moments, for the 100th episode, but that's a small thing :) ❤️. I still THOROUGHLY enjoyed it and I thought it was just absolutely amazing.

So yeah! I loved this episode, I thought it was super great. There were a bunch of fun storylines, which I don't want to forget about in light of the last scene. I'm so excited for the next episode! This has been my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 7, Episode 4: Buck, Bothered, and Bewildered

It was so amazing. I'm so excited but so nervous for the next episode! I'm sure it'll work out fine but it looks wild. I'll be back here next week for my review of. . .

9-1-1, Season 7, Episode 5: You Don't Know Me

See you next week!!

#9-1-1 #911 #oasis's 9-1-1 chatter #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc #911 spoilers #9-1-1 spoilers #evan buckley #he deserves it lol #I talked about him a LOT #also that episode title terrifies me #I'm sure it'll all end up fine but xd #if buck says that to eddie at any point I will actually absolutely lose my mind #I would love it for the angst and the drama #but it would hurt soo much #I don't think it will #but you never know xD #I do think/know that everything will work out okay though :')) #I'm still freaking out so much :'DD #I've written 377 words of a fic and I've seen the kiss scene like 25 times xD #or at least parts of it #I'm just going so insane <33 #got to freak out with someone irl earlier and it was great lol I needed that xD #kinda with two people #one knew and one didn't but was okay with spoilers. was still SHOCKED when we told them though LOL #anyway!!! #anyway!! so not okay :')). but I am genuinely living my best life /gen #I love you all :DDD ❤️❤️❤️❤️!!!! #byeeee :))) <333 🥰🥰🥰🥰!!!!

[stevieharringtonwifeguy]

omega cheerleader steve in his senior year of high school, walking up to the hidden table in the woods in his game day cheer outfit, looking for alpha eddie munson, local dealer. he asks for some weed, and eddie's like okay, thirty bucks. and steve's like oh no 😔 that's so much 🥺 i don't know if i can afford that 😏 but eddie's just sitting there like ???? aren't you rich???

and steve just. blinks at him for a second. tries again. 'oh man, i forgot my wallet, is there any other way i can pay you?' he says, biting his lip and looking up at eddie through his lashes in that way he KNOWS makes all the alphas go wild

'uh. no. come back when you have money man what are you talking about'

so steve sighs and completely drops the act like goddamn it munson im trying to get you to fuck me. and eddie's like oh. OH! why didn't you just ask then??? and steve blushes and looks away, mutters something about it not being what 'good omegas' do, and how he's so horny and eddie smells so fucking good with his chains and his rings and his tattoos steve's losing it

so they end up making out in the woods by the school, steve grinding down on eddie's lap with eddie's hand up his cheer skirt, both so far gone with lust that when they realise neither of them has a condom, steve just shrugs, tells eddie to pull out before he cums, because hawkins high values abstinence only sex education regardless of whether or not that works. so eddie bends steve over the table and slides in, and he gets so caught up in steve's pussy clenching around him when steve cums that he almost doesn't pull out in time, cum splashing against steve's still fluttering hole and absolutely drenching his entire pussy. but that's fine, he's pretty sure none of it actually got IN there, so they're good, right?

and they hook up another couple times after that, WITH a condom this time now that they know it's going to happen, and they enjoy each other's company so much that steve invites eddie to share his heat with him in a couple weeks. except. when the time comes, steve... isn't actually going into heat. which is fine, maybe it's just late. except, eddie points out that he's been pretty nauseous the past week or so, won't kiss him if eddie's been drinking coffee because he says the smell makes him wanna throw up. and now steve's panicking.

eddie calms him down, says there's no use freaking out if they don't know for sure. gets him a glass of water and a sandwich and tells him to finish them both while eddie runs to the nearest pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test. the cashier glares at him when he checks out, severely judging the metalhead alpha buying like five male-omega pregnancy tests, but eddie barely even notices, head full of images of steve round with his pup, which yeah, he feels bad about given that steve is clearly freaking out. and he's ALSO kind of freaking out, because they're still in high school and he's a trailer trash drug dealer and absolutely not father material. but also. he likes steve so much. and thinking about being with him, having kids with him. it sounds so nice.

when he gets back to steve's house, steve has finished the glass of water but barely touched the sandwich. eddie hands the tests to him, reads the instructions out loud, stays in the bathroom while steve pees on the stick because the omega looked so lost and scared when eddie tried to give him some privacy. eddie distracts him by telling him about his latest campaign while they wait for the test to do its thing, and while steve is busy laughing about the tantrum gareth had thrown after the party spent two real life hours trying to open a door only to find out it wasn't locked in the first place, eddie quickly flips over the test.

there's two little pink lines. they're going to have a baby.

#steddie #i have fully Thought About the entire pregnancy but i suck at writing so if anyone else wants to do it 🥺🙏 #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #obviously they get mated and have eight kids and live happily ever after

[inawickedlittletown]

Tell Me Where To Put My Love (buddie one-shot)

Summary: There was no way that Eddie could have ever actually pointed to the moment when he realized that he was not as straight as he had always thought.

701 reaction fic, because Eddie may have a girlfriend but that doesn't mean he isn't also pining for Buck.

Words: 3,040

Read on Ao3

-

There was no way that Eddie could have ever actually pointed to the moment when he realized that he was not as straight as he had always thought. What Eddie did know, was that of course it revolved around Buck. Eddie was oh so very attracted to Buck. What Eddie also knew was that his best friend was actually as straight as could be and that Eddie had absolutely no chance. It didn’t stop him from how he felt when Buck just casually mentioned he and Natalia had broken up. How even after he and Buck had departed the firehouse and gotten into their own cars, he hadn’t stopped smiling. It took a while to remind himself that Buck being single changed nothing. 

For one thing, Eddie had his own sort of girlfriend — not that they had discussed labeling anything yet. For another, Buck was not attracted to men. Eddie did think that he was hasty in repeating that to himself all the time, considering his own realizations about his sexuality, and yet it was one of the ways he could protect himself. Buck was unattainable in that way and Eddie needed him in his — and Christopher’s — life any way that they could keep him. 

A few days later, he leaned against the wall outside Christopher’s room and listened in as Buck parented Christopher. His heart was breaking in his chest as his son’s voice drifted towards him. What had seemed like a silly problem when he was telling Buck and nudging Buck in the direction of being the one to deal with it, was suddenly far more than Eddie had expected. 

He didn’t know how long he stood there, but eventually he couldn’t handle it anymore. It took knowing that his son was safe with Buck and that Buck could handle it, to keep him from rushing into Chris’ room. His feet took him to his own room and he sank down on the bed. He had no idea just how badly it still hurt Chris. His eyes were unfocused, staring right at the wall and trying to imagine how he had somehow missed that his son was still struggling. It was just like when Chris had been freaking out thinking that he would lose Eddie due to his job. 

Buck found him later and with a gentle touch to the shoulder had Eddie looking at him.

“You okay?” Buck’s eyes were so blue and they held so much worry, so much warmth. 

“I don’t know what to feel,” Eddie said, truthfully. “I just can’t believe it.”

“It makes sense,” Buck said. 

Without prompting Buck sat down next to him, so close that Eddie could feel his body warmth. It took everything in Eddie to not move closer, to lean into him and let his weight settle on Buck with the full knowledge that Buck would catch him. 

“It was a bit of a joke, I know, but I was the way I was for a reason,” Buck said. “Going from one girl or guy to another. Told Bobby once I thought I was a sex addict. I was looking for connection, for someone that would care about me and see past all the things that made me easy to only be good for one night. And when I thought I found that person, she left me. I think I was an ever bigger mess…probably still am a bit.”

Eddie felt like he was short circuiting, like something in his head wasn’t clicking together. He couldn’t fully comprehend what Buck was saying, stuck on one part. 

“Eddie?” 

Eddie couldn’t form words. 

“Look,” Buck said and he shuffled closer, bumping his shoulder against Eddie’s. “The good thing is we know why he was talking to all those girls and didn’t understand it wasn’t the right approach. Maybe it would help if you talked to him about his mom.” 

This was about Chris. It was about Chris remaining on the right track and not becoming a player, about Chris learning to respect the girls he dated, namely by dating one at a time. It was also about the root of the problem, the trauma of losing his mom. Eddie couldn’t make it about himself no matter how much he wanted to ask Buck to clarify. 

“I think it’d be better coming from her,” Eddie said, finding words. “She wrote him a letter. About the time when she left us in Texas, but it will work now too. I never…I thought I would give it to him eventually, didn’t know he actually probably needed it a long time ago.”

Buck’s shoulder pressed against his, remaining there. “If you think that will help, then go for it.”

Eddie thought it would help. And if it didn’t then Eddie would have to have a talk to Chris about Shannon and about dating and relationships and the complicated way to navigate romantic feelings. He had his own hardships with all of that which probably didn’t help matters at all. He wondered how much of Chris’ struggle was Eddie’s fault too. 

“I should probably go,” Buck said. “You’ll tell me how it goes?” 

“Of course.” 

Eddie heard Buck talking to Chris again and then the front door open and close. Meanwhile, Eddie let his mind linger on what Buck had said. Going from one girl or guy to another. Said so casually as if Eddie should have already known that despite the fact that in the time Eddie had known him there had been Abby and Ali and Taylor and most recently Natalia. No guys. At least none that Buck had ever spoken about. 

He wished he’d actually commented on it, made a point of showing Buck he’d noticed what he said and yet that was a can of worms that would lead to places Eddie didn’t know he was ready for. Except his need to know was going to drive him crazy, not least because if Buck really was attracted to guys as well, then Eddie had something of a chance. And Buck was single now. 

Eddie knew exactly where the letter was, but he didn’t go to Chris immediately. Instead, he cleaned a little and when his phone rang, he was only a little reluctant to answer and it wasn’t entirely because he wished it had been Buck calling. 

“Hey,” Marisol said. Her voice was cheerful. It was so different than Eddie’s mood. 

“Hi,” Eddie said. 

“How did it go?” she asked. 

Eddie liked Marisol. Since the whole thing with Ana, it had been so refreshing to find Marisol. She was down to earth and fun to hang out with. It was easy with her, there was no pressure. She got along with Chris. Didn’t push him past the place they had gotten to. Considering everything — including his feelings for Buck — Eddie was aware that as much as a possibility for a future between them existed, so too existed the opposite. An end. 

“What?”

“Oh, I thought you were having Buck talk to Chris,” Marisol said. 

“Yes. Yes. That did happen,” Eddie said. “Went alright, I think. I’m gonna talk to him about it too. Later.”

Marisol chuckled. “That’s good. He’s such a sweet kid. It’s a good thing he has a dad like you.”

One thing that he really liked about Marisol was that as much as she liked Christopher, she respected boundaries. It was so entirely different from Ana. Eddie hadn’t realized until long after he broke it off with Ana, how quickly Ana had tried to carve a place in their lives as if Chris was in desperate need of a second parent. Ana would have balked at the idea of Buck taking on the conversation with Chris. Marisol had only laughed and pat Eddie on the back and told him to wish Buck luck. 

“I think serious dating is still a long ways away, but I’d rather my kid not get a reputation this early on. Can you imagine?” 

“Considering the kids I went to school with. Yes,” Marisol said. “I’m glad you’re not alone in all of this. It must be so helpful to have Buck.”

At some point, Eddie would have balked at the importance of Buck in his life…in Christopher’s life. Except that, these days it felt so normal almost like Buck had become Chris’ second dad somehow. 

“Hey, Marisol, do you think it’s a little strange?”

“What?”

“That I asked Buck to talk to Chris,” Eddie said. 

She chuckled again. “No. I mean, you said he has more experience, right? Like you’d involve anyone in your life to help your kid. And those two are pretty close. You all are. The way Chris talks about him, and the way that you involve him in everything. It’s pretty clear that Buck is part of your family.”

There was something about how she said it, like there was no question about where Buck fit and how. 

“So you don’t find it odd,” Eddie said. 

“Eddie, why are you asking me all this?” 

“I don’t know…I just…I guess I was thinking about Chris’ dating issue and Buck said something and now I’m—”

“You’re realizing that you have feelings for him,” Marisol finished for him and weirdly Eddie could hear the smile in her words. 

“You—”

“You’re not hard to read, Eddie. And this has been fun…I don’t want to lose your friendship, but maybe you should be talking to Buck.” She didn’t even sound sad or anything, just resigned. Like she had been expecting this. 

Eddie inhaled a breath. After a moment Marisol said goodbye and Eddie dropped his phone on the nearest surface. That was not at all how he had expected that to go. He gave himself some time to collect himself and then switched to dad mode. 

He could tell that Chris was still having complicated emotions when he went to find him. The one picture he had of Shannon was turned over and Eddie let himself wonder for a moment how long it had been that way, but he didn’t say anything about it. It was awkward and Chris wouldn’t look directly at him, but he took the letter even if he didn’t open the envelope or read it. Without much else to say, Eddie left him and hoped the time alone would help. 

Eddie made himself clean up the kitchen and tidy up the living room. Kept cleaning until he realized that he should have been figuring out dinner instead. 

Chris looked in better spirits when Eddie checked on him again, and the picture of Shannon was standing upright again. There was plenty that Eddie could say and yet words didn’t want to come, not when they might ruin whatever comfort Chris had managed to get. Instead, he ordered them pizza and when it arrived, things seemed lighter. Chris didn’t say anything about the letter or the talk with Buck and Eddie didn’t think he should bring it up just yet. 

When Christopher had gone to bed, Eddie remained in the living room. He really should have headed to bed himself, except that having Chris mostly squared away meant that he could focus on Buck’s words. Going from one girl or guy to another. 

As far as Eddie was concerned, Buck had been a womanizer back in the time before Eddie knew him. He was reformed, by his own wording, and Eddie had really only ever seen him in what could be considered relationships. Not flings or one-night stands or whatever. Even the whole thing with Taylor had been more serious than any of them liked. Eddie had been entirely too happy when it ended. There had never been any guys. Maybe Buck kept that to himself or maybe Eddie hadn’t been paying attention. 

Maddie would know for sure, probably, but Eddie wasn’t calling her. Bobby might know, but he was hardly an option considering he was on a cruise and Eddie didn’t want to bother him. There was Hen, but with Hen came more questions…questions aimed at Eddie. Eddie was hardly ready for that. 

His phone rang first. This time it really was Buck. Eddie couldn’t help his smile as he answered. 

“Hey, Buck.” 

“And?” Buck asked. 

“Gave him the letter. Seems like it’s better. He heard you and he heard his mom and now I’ll just wait and see if he needs me to say more.”

Buck laughed, “Ah, I see, you got out of being a parent for this one.” 

“I have excellent help,” Eddie said. “Really, Buck, don’t know what I would do without you. There’s only so much that I can actually handle on my own.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Buck said. “Giving your kid dating advice.” 

Eddie snorted. “Better you than I. You know my dating history. You, on the other hand, have so much history I doubt we’ve even discussed it all.” 

“Probably not,” Buck said. 

Eddie took a breath. “What are you doing right now?” 

“Nothing. Why?” 

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be going to bed any time soon, want to come over?” 

Buck agreed pretty quickly. Hanging up in order to grab his jacket and put on shoes to head down from his apartment to his car and drive over. Eddie felt giddy, but then he was always glad to see Buck. It felt…well, maybe not different, but like there were possibilities and Eddie just had to be brave. 

Buck arrived with a six pack and a grin. “Better to drink with friends.” 

They made it to the living room and because it was the usual for them, they found their places on Eddie’s sofa. 

“Are you still worried?” Buck asked. 

Eddie fixed him with a look as he lifted his bottle to his lips. “I’m a dad. I’ll always worry. But I think he’ll always be dealing with not having his mom around.”

“One way or another, our parents will always mess us up,” Buck said. 

Eddie reached over to tap his bottle to Buck’s. “I guess I’m hoping he’ll be better than both of us.” 

“Of course he will. No doubt about that.” 

Eddie leaned back on the sofa’s armrest. He looked at Buck, taking him in. He was big, not just in how his body was shaped with the strength that he carried physically. It was his personality, the depth of the way that he cared. He was absolutely gorgeous, the bluest eyes, with the most distinctive birthmark and a smile that made hearts skip a beat. Eddie wanted to kiss that smile, to taste the beer on Buck’s lips. 

“What?” Buck asked. 

It wasn’t that there was some kind of clock on it, exactly, because if there was one thing that Eddie knew, it was that Buck would always be there. His best friend. No matter what…they had been through enough and still they had each other. Nothing could change that. 

“I was thinking,” Eddie said. 

“I don’t know if that’s safe.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes. “Earlier, you said girls or guys. I had no idea you…”

Buck’s smile faded. He looked away from Eddie, hand rubbing the back of his neck, before his eyes looked back up and found Eddie’s. 

“I’m bi,” Buck said. “I guess I haven’t dated a guy since we met. I didn’t even realize. It’s why…oh, god,” He groaned and chuckled. “The day you started you were distracting, Hen kept teasing me. I was so angry at Abby and maybe even myself and I took it out on you.” 

Eddie didn’t know what his face was doing. He knew he was surprised, maybe even shocked. He remembered his first few weeks at the 118 well. How excited he’d been to finally be a firefighter and how he’d known pretty quickly that it was a place where he fit. Everyone was welcoming, and then there was Buck. Acting out and pushing Eddie in some weird way that at first Eddie just took for some strange form of jealousy. No one could have ever known how close they would become, what friendship would form between them. 

“Eddie?” Buck asked.

“I think that I’m…I’ve been thinking for a while I don’t think I’m as straight as I thought I was.”

They were both dead silent. Buck was staring at him and Eddie stared back. Buck broke the silence when he put his bottle down with a clink. He grabbed Eddie’s and put it down too.

“Don’t tell me I’m reading this wrong,” Buck said. 

Eddie reached for him just as Buck reached for him too. A hand was at Eddie’s neck and Buck’s fingers were not the softness that he was used to from a woman’s hand. It made him shiver. And then he felt Buck’s breath on his skin. Eddie pushed forward, hands holding onto Buck’s shoulders, pulling him closer. Their lips met in what was barely a kiss, a soft brush of lips. It was electric. It was right. It was better than anything. 

“Eddie,” Buck whispered and that’s when the proper kissing began. 

It was like nothing and everything that Eddie had imagined. The passion, the want, and the awe that came with a kiss that had been a long time coming. Buck was on him, their chests pressed together. Eddie had never felt anything like it, from the rush of emotion in his chest to the very physical awareness that it was a man he was kissing. He loved it. The hard panes of Buck’s body, how big he was in a way that matched Eddie. 

Any daydream would never match this. To actually feel Buck against him, to breathe with him and to touch him and to kiss him. To know that Buck actually hungered for him too. 

“How long,” Buck whispered, “how long have you felt this way?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie said. “A while.” 

“We have a lot of time to make up for,” Buck said. 

Eddie’s lips turned up into a smile. To think that he’d been telling himself for ages that this was an impossibility. Their hands were linked and Eddie couldn’t imagine ever wanting to let go. Buck kissed him again. Eddie didn’t want him to stop. 

#buddie #buddie fic #buck x eddie #911 abc #911 fic #my fic #one-shot

[matan4il]

i don’t know who else to share these thoughts with, so i’m sending them your way — they’re both stretches maybe, but things i keep thinking about

firstly, it’s just spec at this point, but i’ve always been a fan of the trapped dads theory and would love to see it in the finale. and if they’re going to, boy wouldn’t that be a fun, and by fun i mean heart breaking, time to revisit the line about how any door can be opened with enough time and the right tools. especially! given the time motif we see pop up w buck and eddie

secondly, the scene w everyone greeting buck in his hospital room after hes woken up — i’ve seen people discuss how physically closed off eddie is, laughing and practically glowing honestly, but keeping his distance and not actually touching buck. but i also love how he pushes christopher forward. he puts chris in front of him, both i think to let him be the first to hug buck and to keep some of that distance. and then he guides chris into bucks arms and keeps an arm on chris the whole time chris is hugging buck. a physical metaphor i think for the will and their coparenting situation — i’m inviting you into my sons life, but i’m still holding on to him, we’re doing it together. and also a tether and almost hug by proxy. i wouldn’t go as far to say that he’s hiding behind chris, but it’s a near thing.

anyway, sorry that got long! not really questions, just my interpretations of a few things that i would love to hear someone else’s thoughts on.

Hi Nonnie! Awwww, thank you so much for sharing these thoughts with me! *hugs*

Well, I'm not gonna lie, I'd really love to see that scenario in the finale as well. I'm not gonna gamble at this point on whether it will happen or not, because as always I want to keep my expectations low (and I fully believe that helps me be less disappointed by the eps themselves), but if we do get it? I have no doubt that we will FEAST.

As for that final scene, you might have seen in my 611 meta that I think Buck hugging Chris with Eddie watching was an absolutely wonderful call back to the way Buck was watching Eddie hugging Chris in 414. But it's more than that, actually. Because Eddie is this reserved guy, who did try to hold back on his feelings for his son's sake in Buck's hospital room and he failed. He was that overwhelmed by his distress over the possibility of losing Buck. So just imagine the opposite, the INFINITE relief Eddie felt when Buck woke up. Eddie must have felt like he would explode with joy! And if it's too much, if he tries to hold back on this too, how would he still find an outlet for it? We know sometimes when Eddie can't say what he feels for Buck, like during the grocery argument in 315, he uses Chris. So that's what he does in 611, too. He enables and remains a part of Chris hugging Buck because that is an extension of him doing that.

Thank you again, hope you have a great day! As always, here's my ask tag. xoxox

#buddie #911meta #buddie meta #911 meta #9-1-1 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #edmundo diaz #evan buck buckley #911 #ask #anon ask #fandom love #kindness #because yes it is kindness in my eyes when someone wants to hear my take #911 speculation #thank you! #<3333 #911onabc #911 on abc #911abc #911 abc

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Buddie things that will absolutely make me lose my shit, if any of them were to happen in any capacity

See below for a visual representation.

In no particular order (because my brain's not in order when it's short before dying lol):

Buck/Lev parallel/reversal

Buck wakes up after he's been unconscious (possibly following some kind of dream about another life), only to mutter the same words as Lev about how he gets it now. But he lives, where Lev died.

Extra points if the camera work is very similar to how it was for Lev.

And thus begins the pining era for our poor Buckaroo, as Eddie dips his toes back into the dating pool, unaware of Buck's epiphany.

Buck's alternate life is not it

Expanding on the former, if we get some kind of parallel universe thing while Buck is unconscious in some capacity, I will probably leave my mortal shell for a while. Because I won't be able to cope if Buck has the "perfect life" with loving parents and everything as it's "supposed to be" (wife (extra-extra lolz if he envisions e.g. Kameron or someone looking pretty much like a female Eddie, say, Marisol), kids, house, whole shebang). Only to come to realize that this isn't what he actually wants and what brings him true happiness and peace.

Bonus points for a) Buck repeatedly hearing someone call out to him and that's later revealed to be Eddie (+/- firefam). Extra bonus if it's "Evan" that eventually brings him back. Or b) he is the only one in the alternate life who is aware that he is somehow stuck in a dream, and Buck knows he should be content with all this. Just that he's not. Because he wants that imperfect mess of a life he has, especially the one that has Eddie and Christopher in it. That this is his way to happiness, and has been all along.

Speaking of... Evan

No. For real. Eddie called Buck "Evan" one time, and it killed me dead. But if Eddie calls out to him by that name or begs him to wake up at the hospital and THEN HE DOES... I'll be deader than dead.

I'm still not done – so PINING ERA REVISITED

No. Seriously. If they have Buck pining after Eddie while Eddie's trying to go on dates again to figure out what he wants out of a relationship after Ana, I will be deceased. Like. Buck finally knows what he wants. He knows what's it for him. But he wakes up to the "reality" that he can't have it. Because Eddie is seemingly not into him and thus not available (he totally is, but they are oblivious, yo).

Only for Eddie to come to the same realization towards the end of the season (love's in the air!) that the person he wants to go home to is Buck, and has been all this time. And so he finally follows his heart back home, where Buck's waiting.

Bonus points if this is all intermingled with Buck momentarily living at Eddie's to recover (and wait for that damn couch delivery!). Like, Buck having to smile and watch Eddie go on dates, while being at that place he calls home... finding out the hard way that the concept of home is actually not just this place he's no guest at, but Christopher and Eddie... Yeah no, I will be dead. Totally absolutely dead. DECEASED.

The red line connecting people's hearts

As per my previous feral post, I shall cronch glass if we get a visual representation between Buck and Eddie being connected via red safety rope, only for both of them to get struck by lightning.

The Buckley parents finally do something that's not shitty for a change

NGL, I'm still not very fond of a sort of redemption arc for them. Because... I don't like them. Especially since I felt like they weren't anywhere near the right mindset last time we saw them (praising Buck for his self-sacrificial tendencies and reaffirming his belief that the best he does is to put his life on the line for others. Therefore making it seem like they were right).

But. If those people finally get their shit together and friggin' see their son at the hospital, after they've refused doing that... would be something very dramatic and thus very cronchy for me.

Bonus points if Maddie puts her foot down and tells them to either try their best to go in there, even though it's traumatic for them, or fuck off.

If we get some kind of dream sequence for Buck where his parents are perfect and loving, it might have a nice touch to see them overcoming their own fears in reality, and showing their love for him, highlighting how it's not perfect, but it's real.

Eddie unable to keep his cool upon seeing Buck in danger/hurt

Not only am I aching for the reversal of Eddie being scared for Buck's sake (and not just on the verge of passing out after getting shot, seeing him with blood all over his face, mind you), but I'd seriously love to see it.

Because I think it'd show two things for Eddie's personal growth: a) He's now in an emotional place where he can allow himself to show that (as he previously repressed that, fearing for it to be a kind of "weakness"). It'd show how much therapy and working on his issues has changed him. b) Buddie. That's it. I'm an easy hoe when it comes to that. I want this. For shipping reasons.

Will reveal

I'm still totally indecisive on what's going on with Buck and Eddie after getting struck (if both are seriously hurt, if only one's seriously injured and the other has comparably smaller injuries but still winds up hospitalized, or if one's basically fine, safe for a few scratches (AKA plot armor/plot turnout coat), while the other one's life is dangling by a thread... or safety rope... mehehe).

Hence, I have no clue how this might happen. But. I want everyone to go like :O when either Eddie or Buck blurts out the legal guardian thing right in front of the firefam (plus Maddie, potentially the Buckley parents, you name it).

Bonus points if all of this is preceded by some conversation between Buck and Eddie about it and actually having a bit of a fight over it. Like. Buck's tendencies of heading into danger head-first (see Bi-cycle-Buck to the rescue earlier on this season) have shown up again. If a decision is to be made about who takes the "more dangerous" spot for a rescue, and Buck asserts himself as the one chosen to do it... And Eddie gets pretty irritated, only for Buck to blurt out something about the will and how he's the plan B, still.

ONLY FOR BOTH TO GET YEETED OFF INTO ORBIT BY LIGHTNING EX MACHINA. Oh, the fun of the pain. It will kill me so very dead.

Extra bonus points if we thus get the follow-up to Buck's and Eddie's conversation about the will later on this season. Wherein Eddie has to use his words to make Buck see what his true intentions were with the will and his act of revealing it to Buck after the shooting (because there's more to it than what he said to Buck last time, IMO).

Well, this is awkward

Granted that it was hinted at that Eddie might start dating again later on this season, I won't recover from it either if he has to come to the realization that it might be kind of weird to explain to a potential new partner that his best friend has dibs on Christopher as the legal guardian, should something happen to him.

Bonus points if that's a not so gentle nudge in the right direction for Eddie to realize that he basically set up Buck as his partner well before he grows conscious of his romantic feelings for him.

All of the bonus points if this, in any way or capacity, is something a date of his points out to him point-blank. Because it's just so obvious to anyone else from the outside. And Eddie just goes like :O.

And they were Couchmates

Again, as per my previous post, I won't ever recover if it turns out that Buck's lack of couch is actually foreshadowing for Buddie Roommate Era. Granted that Buck may sustain some kind of injury that may make it impossible for him to climb stairs safely for a while, or anything to that effect.

We finally talk about our shared trauma, like NOT emotionally stunted people

Buck and Eddie are still due a talk about the shooting. Potentially the sparks flying, too (mehehe). No, for real. They only ever as much as touched on the topic, but they never really talked to each other about how it felt like for them, either seeing the other injured like this or being injured. What it did to them emotionally. How traumatizing it was.

Bonus points if they have to realize that they can't always do it under the pretense of doing things for Christopher (see Eddie's will being surface-level about Eddie's trust in Buck for Christopher's sake, even though it means so much more to both of them, on a level that's not at all Eddie's son).

Extra bonus points if this echoes Eddie's words to his father about how he has to do this for himself and not for Christopher. Extra sprinkles on top if this primes Eddie for the infamous and dearly beloved Oh moment: That doing something for himself actually means pursuing Buck, instead of trying to find what he already has with him... with some random person he's dating. And at last, he follows his heart as "love is in the air".

Parallel of reaching out to each other

Seriously. If we have Eddie desperately reaching out to Buck after he's taken a fall or whatever... and we get a similar shot of how Buck pulled Eddie to safety after the shooting... I won't be coherent. For a long time.

Bonus points if they "fail" to connect first time (due to losing consciousness or being wheeled off to hospital or whatever). And then all of the bonus points if this concludes with them actually holding hands later on, like, after one of them wakes up at the hospital.

This child deserves all unicorns and rays of sunshine, but DAMN the drama of it all

Like. In the event that Eddie is not hurt as badly while Buck's life is still essentially dangling by a thread... If they bring Christopher to the hospital and e.g. Bobby tells him that his dad is still being worked on, though he should be fine. And then Christopher promptly asks for Buck. Because normally, Buck's role would be to be there for him, and everyone is just looking at each other sadly.

Bonus points if Eddie and Christopher are later on shown in a similar setup as Buck and Christopher after Eddie was shot. I mean, I may not be able to reward all of those bonus points coz I'll be dead. But I will give them from the afterlife, I swear.

I abandoned my boys

No, Bobby also deserves unicorns and rays of sunshine. But him having to see basically a younger version of himself (Eddie) and someone who looks up to him as a father figure (Buck) being nearly killed by lightning (after he may have sent them out to do it)... oh geez, the drama's gonna be another death for me.

If this, in any way, is used as a contrast to the Buckley parents, I shall be very petty, and I shall cherish it that Bobby is truly the dad of the entire firefam. No takebacks.

Well, I guess I'm not straight, then?

Like. If we get a scenario of Buck helplessly pining after Eddie while he's off to dating... And if this is further complicated by Eddie figuring out his sexual attraction towards men... Only for Buck not to know that this is something Eddie's working towards (also as part of his therapy, working on his repression)... further pushing the idea that Eddie's not available for him...

And it all concludes with Eddie coming into his own with his sexuality, after having dated men. Only to realize that, yes, he is attracted to men. But. He's not attracted to any of them substantially. Instead. He gets the hots for the himbo already readily available for him, and painfully pining after the guy he thinks he can't have. I love this in fanfiction, so why would I not love it in real... fictional life as well, amirite?

Families come in all kinds of shapes and that's okay

If the whole sperm donor thing's supposed to amount to anything (which I damn well hope!), then Buck reaching the epiphany that he can still have a family without what he previously thought was still on the horizon for him (AKA wife, kids, house, whatever)? Hell. Yes.

That he understands that the family he's got is all he needs to be happy. And that this "sets him free" to let go of this problematic thinking of "donor, not dad" and potentially trying to insert himself into Kameron's and Connor's life (or rather, that of the child). Like, he can finally let this go because he doesn't need that fantasy anymore. He has the actual deal, it's just not the typical or traditional setup for a family.

In that same vain, Buck realizing that fatherhood comes in different shapes and does not rely on relation by blood would be so epic. And it would kill me so very dead. More so if this is deeply entwined with Buck realizing that he has the fatherhood he needs in being there for Christopher (or rather, he wants to be a dad for that kid, not just legal guardian, and that's the ultimate goal for him). That he is Christopher's other dad in all but title (which would be so lovely to be resolved in a future season).

Bonus points if this is somehow brought back into a fold with Bobby's struggle of where he fits into the lives of Athena's children. Last season, he came more into his own as May's dad. So having him help Buck along on that journey towards this new kind of fatherhood would be so... deadening. And if we get some kind of "father-son-moment" for Bobby and Buck that's a reversal of Buck stating to TK that Bobby might just as well be his dad... only that this time Bobby says that Buck might just as well also be his son... I will be so very dead I won't even be able to dance on my own grave, coz I'll yeet myself into the afterlife.

There's probably more that's going to kill me dead. But I will leave it at that. For this mad rambling at least.

That being said... I guess I will be killed by this season. Because I will also be dead if I don't get any of this. So yeah. This season shall be my death sentence. See y'all in the afterlife, my peeps!

Cheers!

#buddie #buck x eddie #eddie x buck #evan buckley #evan buck buckley #eddie diaz #evan buckley x eddie diaz #eddie diaz x evan buckley #911 spoilers #911 season 6 spoilers #911 season 6 #in which I die of rambles

[mr-and-mr-diaz]

I big agree with you on the buck and Tommy of it all. And tonight really did very little to sell me on it even more. Like his remark about plenty of closet space to buck in front of Eddie and Marisol absolutely sent me. Like that’s such a shitty thing to say to someone who is clearly panicking and very much not out. And he knew Buck wasn’t out at that point. He was literally asking questions on how to come out right before it. And had Marisol and Eddie clocked his comment he’d have just outted him to them.

Hi Anon! I agree with some of your points, but not all. Tommy's remark about closet space did send me--but in a different way: I was laughing my ass off. Buck 100% deserved that, he was being an idiot. I can't blame Buck for it, he was in a high pressure situation and reacted out of fear, and this is Eddie we're talking about, I'm pretty sure Evan Buckley would break the world before he risked losing Eddie. I can't say that in Buck's shoes I would've reacted any differently, but in Tommy's shoes I also wouldn't have reacted differently. People are imperfect, and sometimes we rub off on each other like velvet and other times like sandpaper, that's part of the fun. Was Tommy expecting a LOT by expecting Buck to just come out to his BFF right there in that moment, especially when the whole conversation beforehand was a very clear indication of Buck's nerves on the matter? Yes, he was, and I totally agree with you there. Having said that, after the life he's lived, it probably brings back a lot of bad memories for Tommy to be shoved back in the closet. It's why I actually liked that moment in the episode, it felt very human to me. No one was being an angel, everyone was just trying their best and failing.

Now on the Buck and Tommy of it all in general, yeah I think we're on the same page. I'm a buddie shipper to the end, and while I appreciate that Tommy is currently serving a purpose and I'm relieved that he has a personality and is actually fun to watch (and that his actor Lou Ferrigno Jr is a real sport dealing with all of us), it makes me nervous that there is a number of fans who are like "nah this works for me as endgame." If we lose sight of what we've been reaching for this whole time, then TPTB will feel no pressure to follow this through to the end, and after all we've been through that would be a tragedy. So I hope people remember why we're here and don't lose sight of that.

#911 spoilers #bucktommy #kinkly #buddie

[sunflowerwemadeit]

I posted 13,832 times in 2022

That's 4,551 more posts than 2021!

100 posts created (1%)

13,732 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@shana-rosee

@lululawrence

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@corrupted-willy

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I tagged 653 of my posts in 2022

#mera - 46 posts

#bub💙 - 25 posts

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#ask - 25 posts

#prev tags - 22 posts

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#buddie - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#so you may now realise my resentment for his canines are a mere reflection of my never-ending love for you which he so dares to threaten by

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

No but seriously one of my most favourite moments is when in 5x13 Arthur asks Merlin to just light the fire with his magic. There is no fear, there never was any fear in Arthur's eyes for Merlin.

It is a very genuine, nonchalant way of saying "go on, do it". Like it's not the very thing he has grown up fearing. He's just like, hey Merlin just use your magic and stop wasting your energy and time, you idiot.

Like, I love this casual acceptance just as much as I love the "I want you to always be you" acceptance. Because both are equally important.

71 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

#4

Are we gonna talk about how Arthur actually did say thank you before the last episode, in the episode where he asked merlin about advice over mithian and gwen. He said thank you Merlin then. "I want tell you something I've never said before" my ass. Just say I love you you coward

192 notes - Posted January 28, 2022

#3

MAYBE NICK AND CHARLIE ARE THE SOFT, REINCARNATED, MODERN EPILOGUE MERLIN AND ARTHUR DESERVED.

242 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

#2

Say what you want but Arthur gave, shared more of himself with Merlin than he did with anyone.

From Arthur's point of view, Merlin did not have any power, any destiny, any higher station, any baggage of keeping the people safe. He was just Merlin. That's all he was. His goofy, insubordinate, disaster of a friend.

He sees Merlin though. Not as a sorcerer or a protector or even Emrys.

He sees him as a man who is brave, courageous and stupidly loyal.

He seeks him out. As Crown Prince and then as King. Time and again he asks for Merlin's opinion. He seeks his counsel and takes it.

He tells Merlin, more than once, how scared he is, maybe even more than you.

Uther's son showed his vulnerability so willing to a servant. There's a thousand things to unpack right there.

He looks back at Merlin everytime he's making a decision. He accepts and trusts his judgement, especially when he becomes King.

He stops his sword mid-strike at one call of his name from Merlin.

Arthur Pendragon, Crown Prince of Camelot and son of Uther Pendragon willingly and trustingly shares his fears and doubts with Merlin of Ealdor, Emrys and the most powerful sorcerer to beer walk on Earth, Manservant, Friend and the bravest man he's ever known.

349 notes - Posted February 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

The poetic beauty of Buck going "whatever it takes you to forgive me" and Eddie just exasperatedly shaking his head and immediately going "I forgive you."

Like, Buck's so used to conditional love it felt natural for him to be like I'll do anything if you'll just forgive me, I can't lose my best friend, and Eddie knows that so he instantly goes that hey stop, it's forgiven (which he technically didn't have to, it would've been very valid for him to take some time and talk or not talk to Buck for a while) but he still did because he was like....you absolute idiot I'm gonna love you even when you fuck up because that's what a family does. I'm crying brb.

381 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

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#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[what-do-1000-swords-look-like]

Just want to talk about this scene for a second (off the top of my head upon first watch):

Firstly, let's look at how Eddie is dressed. He looks good here, like real good. That's definitely on purpose. (this man is so obviously in love)

Secondly, for all of the naysayers out there that are losing their shit because Buddie is being hinted at even more now while Ana also went bye bye last week (their last chance to be a self-insert in a hetero ship with Eddie in their fantasies, I guess), this is yet another scene where Eddie is providing emotional support to Buck, not just as his friend, but also as something Taylor should be doing. It should be Taylor Buck is talking to about this. Am I saying this conversation is exclusive to a significant other? No, I'm not. But the fact is we still have yet to see any building of Buck and Taylor's romantic relationship aka emotional connection. Instead, we see an episode that starts out with Eddie and Buck on the same scene but not working together or even interacting. Instead we get Eddie and Hen working together (which they had some very nice moments in the hospital before the shit hit the fan). Because the partnerships are yet again being paralleled. Chim is spiraling out due to Maddie's leaving and while Buck isn't, like Eddie said he's the guy "who likes to fix things" and thinks keeping it from Chim that he talked to Maddie while checking on Chim was the best thing for all involved. Hen knows Chim and knows what he was going to choose to do, just like Eddie knows Buck. They purposely went out of their way this episode to show us this parallel, right down to having Hen and Eddie working in the hospital and doing things that no firefighter paramedic would be doing, especially when the show has stressed previously that their jobs end at the doors (which if you think about it, the show keeps displaying that this is not happening this season, first time it was due to the chaos and they were lending a helping hand, now a mass casualty situation has happened and they're again lending a helping hand, they're showing this for a reason). In this episode, they wanted to show us Eddie and Hen while also relating them to the theme of the episode which is who you think you see/know may not really be who you think you see/know. The only time we see someone actually seeing/knowing who is in front of them is Eddie and Buck, Hen and Eddie, Chim and Buck, Hen and Chim, Bobby and Athena, Michael and Athena, May and Claudette, and May and Harry (which I absolutely loved that scene btw!!! We need MORE scenes with them!!!). Josh doesn't know Claudette (or is more being willingly blind I think), it's hinted Buck doesn't know Maddie (or who she is right now) or that Chim doesn't know Maddie, etc. And of course, we have Cassie and Makayla and that whole situation. So besides the obvious convo of the scene, this was definitely an emotional connection scene that paralleled to Hen and Chim's. But it also contrasts with it just as strongly.

For one, you don't have Hen or Chim looking at each other like this:

Instead, you have Hen and Chim telling each other that their significant others are lucky to have them. Purposeful. Dialogue. Because in the Buck and Eddie scene, yes, they discuss Maddie and what happened with Chim but we know Eddie just broke up with Ana and Buck is still dating Taylor but she's nowhere around this episode, nor is Christopher. They are trying to show us the difference, the contrast. Hen is married to Karen and they're together. Hen offers to drive with Chimney but he turns her down with the guise of 'would your wife be okay with that?' Chim leaves to go find Maddie who he loves and wants to bring back home. THE PARALLELS ARE RIGHT THERE. Sometimes, I want to force the naysayers into a lecture room and buckle them into their seats while taping their eyes open and ask them "WHAT FREAKING SHOW ARE YOU WATCHING??? IT'S ALL RIGHT THERE, DUH!!!!" But...I digress.

The point is it's an emotional connection scene (along with vulnerability) that's not just supposed to be friends, brothers, partners, neighbors or whatever other term antis will try to throw into the mix.

Thirdly, this is an intentional callback to this scene:

While there was no "sexual tension" in the 5x04 scene, we have the beers yet again. We have one handing a beer to the other, yet again. We have one reassuring the other emotionally. We also have a conversation about Maddie that turns into a conversation about one or the other. We have Eddie entering the scene first while being the first to talk and bringing something in Buck's direction (aka bringing something to Buck, to the dynamic). We have someone wanting to take a swing at Buck (but vs 3x09, Chim actually did). But this time, it's not night, Christopher isn't there (that we can see anyway though I thought I saw Gavin's name in the credits but I could be wrong), and it's in broad daylight on the balcony. And why? Because the show is literally letting us see now what's been right in front of us all along. Because Eddie (and Buck) are that much closer to where they've been steering this part of the story for two seasons now. They even had Buck and Eddie dressed similarly to that scene (Buck's hoodie is just a lighter color). The only difference is Eddie doesn't have an undershirt on (that we can see) but Buck suddenly does. (which again, I think it's because Eddie is aware of how he feels and while all of his cards may not be on the table right now, he knows; Buck on the other hand I don't think knows, or not that we've seen anyway; whereas in 3x09 Eddie had layers on because he was still sorting through things and wasn't being 100% honest while Buck was so no layers for him; this show makes choices I'm telling you)

It's all right there.

Fourthly, the constant beer sipping. I will admit, this action drove me nuts. The action was just so unnecessary but because it annoyed me so much, it garnered my attention to look at it more closely. Because Ryan is NOT a bad actor, and the show wouldn't have kept that in if it wasn't for a reason. Not only do we get the callback to the 3x09 scene (mentioned above) but Eddie is a lot softer in this scene, even in the way Ryan performs the dialogue. When he says "And you love Chimney", that is all kinds of soft (along with his expressions and snuck-in-there heart eyes). He's reassuring Buck but he's also letting his affection for Buck come through. Eddie is nervous here, but it's subtle, it doesn't come across that way. He is confident all throughout the scene until Buck asks him if he thinks Chim will forgive him. While he quickly reassures Buck (like always, 3x16 callback anyone?), his reaction afterwards and then the whole "Ice goes on the eye, bud" line with the constant sipping showcases his nervousness.

They're literally not even trying to hide it at this point. Like at all. I said Eddie's season 3 arc was peeking its head up and I knew it but damn I will admit I did not expect specific callbacks like this one. They're really out there circling back to stop at all of the Buddie pit stops along the way before finally sailing us home. Wow.

Fifthly, the line here: "When you see your sister, you think of the person you've always looked up to, the woman who's taken care of you." - I know we've all talked about the distinction Eddie keeps making with the word "woman" when it came to Ana, but holy hell this wasn't just another time he made this weird separation, he's literally saying it during this scene where he's giving some serious heart eyes and softness to Buck. He already used the word "person" to describe Maddie which is exactly what would have made sense. There was no reason to add "woman" in there. "When you see your sister, you think of the person you've always looked up to, who's taken care of you." -> that's literally how it could have gone but instead they had Ryan say the line with "woman" in it after using "person". Like I said, they're not even trying to hide it at this point.

Sixthly, there's something with Eddie's expression here and after a rewatch I'll be able to tune into exactly what it is a bit more but something is up here with the line "She's your sister" following Buck's "What was I supposed to do? She begged me not to tell him that we talked":

Plus, I think it's interesting that Eddie later says the line "Or you don't know her the way he does" (when in conjunction with this whole scene):

And last but certainly not least, *drumroll please*...

"This time, maybe she's the one who needs taking care of."

He's fucking telling Buck here 'You took care of me last time in season 3 when I needed it, I'm going to take care of you this time'. And they do the fucking slowest of slow zoom ins to both Eddie and Buck to see if Buck understands how this goddamn callback has now reversed their dynamic, if Buck gets what Eddie was telling him. I WAS FUCKING SCREAMING!!!!!!!!!! Eddie is literally out there putting himself on the line but doing it as close to safe as possible. HE'S TELLING BUCK 'IT'S MY TURN NOW TO BE THERE FOR YOU LIKE YOU WERE FOR ME WHEN I NEEDED YOU'!!!!!!!! (and sadly, Buck didn't get it, or if he did we didn't see it)

And then right after "You think he's gonna forgive me?" (ON THE CALLBACK SCENE TO 3x09 WHERE BUCK APOLOGIZED TO EDDIE, DON'T MIND ME I'M JUST DYING OVER HERE) "No." *then he sees Buck's literal wounded puppy face* "I'm kidding. I'm kidding. Maybe." (aka "Not that you didn't deserve it but I wouldn't do that...you're on blood thinners.") And then the whole "Ice goes on the eye, bud." (because Buck had stopped icing his eye, because Eddie cares but has to be careful right now about how he shows it) Because Buck has a black eye due to Chim taking a swing at him (aka Eddie wanting to take a swing at Buck because he deserved but he would never do that). The show literally chose for this conversation to happen revolving around Buck getting a black eye from a punch that Chimney gave him.

And ladies, gentlmen, and gentletheys, you have your contrast on the relationships between Eddie and Buck, and Buck and Chim.

Buck and Chim are brothers. They have been for a while and we've seen it displayed time and time again. They also have a friendship. Chimney didn't hold back from taking a swing at Buck because Buck deserved it (sorry, I get why Buck did what he did but still, that doesn't make it right).

Buck and Eddie are friends. And according to the naysayers and their bullshit, they're also brothers. When Buck deserved a punch for what happened back in season 3 (the lawsuit arc, again I get why Buck did what he did but I also couldn't blame Eddie and Bobby for being angry), Eddie didn't give it to him though he wanted to (aka Eddie beating up the guy over the parking space). And when Eddie started to lose his temper at Buck (before they were interrupted by the fight over the parking space ironically), he knew then that Lena was right, he needed an outlet for his anger, and went to the underground fights instead while the 118 and Buck went to the rage room. THE CONTRAST IS RIGHT THERE. He didn't want to hurt Buck even though he felt Buck "deserved it". And considering how we've seen the difference in temperaments between Eddie and Chim, Chim would have been the last person to take a swing. But because Chim was affected by Buck's decision to keep things quiet about Maddie (just like Eddie was affected by Buck's decision to cease all contact with the lawsuit back in season 3), he reacted and took the swing.

Literally, these characters' season 3 arcs are coming back and I fucking love it. From Eddie to Athena to Bobby to now Buck (plus Taylor as Abby, and Ana aka Shannon 2.0 being gone now) -- they literally are sailing us into the home stretch.

And we all remember how season 3 ended:

We're literally in the fucking home stretch. We may not get full on Buddie by the end of the season (though I think there's a good chance we might) but Eddie's feelings are definitely coming out this season and we are getting more Buckley Diaz family at some point. IT. IS. COMING.

Eddie is coming for that family, and he is coming hard. And I'm going to enjoy every second of it.

#911 season 5 #buddie #buck x eddie #911 fox #buddie meta #911 5x04 #eddie is in love with buck #911posts

[liesoverthec]

OG 911 Character Details from Canon Pt 2

Hi y’all I’m back! I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reblogged the last details post - I sort of just thought people would like it and it would die, so to see it travel and hopefully reach more writers was so great so thank you again!

Details under the cut since I went a little crazy 😅 and if this is your first time seeing this, the first part, and any future parts, can be found under this tag here!

Quick note before I get to the details - always, ALWAYS take details from dialogue or plot over details from the set or props if they contradict each other. The writers have the ultimate say over what happens on the show/for the characters, so whatever they say goes, even if it goes against something props has already laid down (eg, Chim’s birthday, sorry Libra crew. He’s an Aries or a Pisces). So keep that in mind for the future in case some of these details I have which are from props/set are changed in the future, or if you’ve noticed something yourself!

Also if you have questions, I am MORE than happy to answer them, although if you leave them in the tags on this post I’m probably gonna lose them, so if it’s something you’d genuinely like an answer to, drop it in my inbox! Besides my standard “ask” tags, I’m also tagging asks about canon details with this tag here. Every time I make a big post like this, I’m going to link all the asks I’ve gotten since the last post, but if you’re looking for more info in the mean time, that’s the other spot to look!

Buck has a grill on his patio.

Eddie doesn’t hang Christopher’s art on the fridge - instead it is either hung on the corkboard in Chris’ room to the left of the door, or Eddie puts it in an actual frame and hangs it using a hammer/nails in Christopher’s room. All the Diaz family has on their fridge is a bunch of bendy people magnets. (I absolutely ADORE him putting all this effort into treating Christopher’s art like it’s something you’d buy from a professional artist).

Info on everyone’s ages can be found here. (Little more discussion of Chim’s situation here).

Albert has a bachelor’s degree! I don’t know in what though, except that it’s some field for which is a Master’s is useful.

Athena was in a sorority in college, Delta Sigma Theta. Their website describes them as “ ...a sisterhood comprised primarily of Black, college-educated women ... [that] considers the issues impacting the Black community and boldly confronts the challenges of African Americans and, hence, all Americans ”, which I love for Athena, and feel is very in-character for her at that time in her life!

Chim is an aviators dude. When he wears sunglasses, they’re always aviators.

Athena also wears nothing but aviators.

Bobby wears square aviators.

Eddie, on the other hand, always wears Wayfarers.

Buck either doesn’t really like sunglasses or he constantly forgets he owns them, since we’ve only seen him wear them once in 60 eps, in a move I’m pretty sure was ONLY for dramatic effect.

Hen’s sunglasses change style over the seasons like her regular glasses do, but she tends to like browline sunglasses.

Info on Christopher’s school can be found here!

There are two colors of dispatch polo, and there doesn’t seem to be any rhythm or reason for who wears what. Maroon - Maddie and Linda. Blue - Josh and May. Jamal has actually worn both maroon and blue, so it doesn’t seem to be TOTALLY set in stone although I’ve never seen anyone else switch. Sue is too badass to wear a dispatch shirt.

Both Bobby and Eddie drive 4 door pickups. Bobby’s is navy. Eddie specifically has a black, 2020 GMC Denali 1500 pickup truck (in case you want to specifically look up what the inside of it looks like or what features it has 😂)

Info on the 118’s medical certifications can be found here.

Correction to Eddie’s living situation from last post: no next door neighbors, but instead UPSTAIRS neighbors. (Pointed out by Abigail in this ask). Also since someone else was wondering the notes of the last post - no, there is absolutely no discussion on the show of whether or not Eddie rents the apartment or owns it. But based on the fact that it’s 1) LA and 2) an apartment, my guess would be he rents it.

When Maddie isn’t feeling like herself, she tends to straighten her hair rather than curl it. It seems to be more when she’s uncertain about her place in her own and other people’s lives, rather than just when she’s simply worried - eg it’s straight in 2B, when she’s uncertain if she wants to continue working as a dispatcher/is unsure about her relationship with Chim.

For work, Chim, Eddie and Buck all use black duffel bags with a LAFD patch on the top. Hen uses several different cute bags, and Bobby seems to have a plain black duffel bag.

Watches - Bobby, Athena, Chim, Hen and Buck all wear their watch on their left wrist (but Athena ONLY wears hers for work, she takes it off at home.) Eddie wears his on his right wrist, and Maddie doesn’t wear one.

Chim (and Maddie by default) literally still have the exact same couch as in the pilot. (Which means that Chim has cuddled Tatiana on that couch, AND Albert has had sex on it. TIME TO GET A NEW ONE, BUCKLEY-HANS 😂)

The 118 has five different rigs - the engine (E118), the ladder truck (T118), two ambulances and the captain’s truck. 95% of the time, when the team is chilling in the cab of a rig and chatting (eg the ‘stuck under a live telephone pole’ scene in Jinx), they’re in the engine, not the truck. (Which I personally learned recently are NOT interchangeable terms!)

Athena and Michael got married when Athena was 37.

If you’d like to give Maddie a full name beyond “Maddie”, you should use Madeline. (I know, I know, in 4x04 she says Maddie is the name on her birth certificate, and that you should never use props details if they contradict script details, but I always thought that was a super weird exchange in 4x04 which could be explained by Maddie getting a nickname since she was born when Margaret and Phillip, you know, actually loved their kids and showed it, so of course Buck doesn’t get one, and in 4x04, Maddie was trying to avoid the entire issue of why she got one and Buck didn’t. But! Do what you want, and use Madeline as the full version of Maddie if you’d like, since that’s what’s on the BOLO in 2x13 😂)

Athena’s call sign is 727 L30, but she doesn’t have a specific squad car - the number changes throughout the series.

Chim really likes chewing gum, but he’s the only one out of the entire family!

The station has an Xbox One S, and it’s white.

In the real LAFD, there are stations 1 through 114. To avoid confusion while filming on the streets (I’m assuming), our fictional LAFD never uses the number of a real station. So if you want another station for a fic, and you want something that would be real in OUR universe, use the numbers 115 and above. They’ve gone as high as 221 in our universe.

Battalions - station 118 is in Battalion 7, which is also not a battalion in real Los Angeles. The 118 has interacted w/ Battalion 1, which is a real battalion, but other ‘non-real which makes them more likely for our universe’ battalions include numbers: 3, 8, 13, 16, 19 and above.

S1 Buck knew the term Jedi, but based on context, didn’t understand AT ALL the context provided by Star Wars, so there’s another edge of his pop culture limits for you.

Chim is the most tech-savvy out of everyone, hands down.

Athena has a VERY active Twitter account.

Abuela’s house number is 8902. I don’t have a street name for you unfortunately though. :/

Athena’s favorite flowers are white roses. None of the other women are really flower people.

Michael likes to wear purple.

When they’re at a call, Buck does pretty much all of the stuff with the hammer and the saw. Eddie does all the work needed with the drill.

Harry goes to Meadowbrook Elementary.

Buck lives on the fourth floor of his apartment building, across the hall from Apt. 416. The lovely @lovelessmotel found this listing for what is more or less the apartment. What happened was: the set crew rented this apartment for the one episode at the end of s2 when Buck moved in, and then over the summer before s3 built their own set of it, and changed some things - eg giving him an island, and moving the sink to a second counter against the far wall, you can see the changes here in this amazing gif set by the awesome Austen, but the listing should let you click around a little more upstairs and figure out dimensions better than what the show provides!

When Athena and Hen go out to eat together, it’s always fast food burgers and fries.

Waffles are Athena’s favorite food, and tiramisu is her favorite dessert.

Every takeout we’ve seen Buck eat has always been in a Chinese food takeout container, and we know he likes Thai food the best. EXCEPT! The one time we see him eat takeout with Eddie and Christopher, they have pizza. So take from that what you will......

Eddie has a cell phone and a landline.

Chim is a shameless multiple texter.

Chim and Bobby sleep closest to the door in their respective bedrooms (both right side of the bed if you are standing at the foot, facing the headboard), and Athena and Maddie sleep furthest away from the door (left side).

Some canon last names for other firefighters at the station in case you wanna add more people to a fic - Mitchell, Sanchez, Serrano (woman), Porter, Meyers (woman), Maxwell, Voyta

Hen and Karen really love decorating their house with dark/red wood.

Karen is Mommy and Hen is Mama.

Bobby has a brother, and a grandmother, and that’s literally ALL we know about his family outside of Marcy and the kids.

Evidence points to Eddie being the oldest child in his family.

Karen has multiple brothers (no sisters), but no idea how many - just that one of them is named Trey, and one of them lives in LA and has kids. They might be the same brother and they might not be.

Both Hen and Athena are only children.

Athena has been on the police force for 30 years.

Christopher and Denny are the same age (born in 2011), and Harry is two years older than them.

Michael lives in apartment 308.

The bank in this universe is CalAm.

Hen and Karen have a picture of Denny, May and Harry on their fireplace mantel.

Eddie having a black thumb + a lot of plants in his living room = him buying fake plants bc he likes the aesthetic ™ or someone (cough Carla cough) is taking care of them for him.

The COVID timeline in OG’s universe is fucked up compared to the real world’s, so it shouldn’t be used as a way to measure time! They just throw it in wherever it makes sense for the story they want to tell (eg the vaccines in s4 ep 8), since s3 was both done before COVID hit but also airing while it was happening. It makes absolutely no sense for May to graduate in March nor for Chris to be going to what is specifically labeled summer camp, and the vaccine plotline was INCREDIBLY early, even for real life, so don’t use anything from that as a measure of time. I’ve found except in specific examples, eg the two tsunami episodes, it’s very safe to say every episode covers a week - fall holidays on the show line up with their real life counterparts, indicating about the same amount of time is passing for us and them.

On that note - Jee-Yun was born in late January, early February 2021. (Conceived in Pinned, which was end of March/beginning of April, meaning Maddie was around a month along at May’s graduation in May ➡ 42 weeks + 3 days from then = late Jan/early Feb. Which unfortunately means we most likely won’t see her birthday celebrated on screen. If we assume she was conceived on the date Pinned aired, aka the very sexy hotel scene, then January 21st or 22nd would be Jee’s birthday, depending on if she was born after midnight or not.

Buck has had at least one other Jeep between the one Maddie gave him, and the one he has now, which means that when he needs a new car, he is purposefully choosing Jeeps.

I hope this was all as interesting/enjoyable to you as it was to me! And just to repeat - I love answering questions so pls let me know if you have any at all ❤

🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝

Tagging: @buckbuckley

#911 fox #911 canon character details #athena grant #bobby nash #chimney han #hen wilson #maddie buckley #evan buckley #eddie diaz #bathena #madney #henren #buddie #userac #hey yall if anyone else wants to be added to these tags let me know #im happy to do so #I feel like I have v little for Bobby here sorry :/ #I’ll work on getting lots for him next time

[homerforsure]

Whumptober No. 6 Bruises / Touch Starved / Hunger Whumptober No. 30 major character death / left for dead / ghosts

Me: I can’t believe I have to post this absolutely incomprehensible piece of writing. 

Me: You don’t... have to?

Me: No, I’m gonna. 

Buck has an exceptional number of pillows on his bed. There are six, before he knocks a few to the floor every night, and he burrows into them like a nest, curling up with one against his chest, two pressed against his back, one between his legs. His sheets are a ridiculously priced, cool, crisp cotton that welcomes him in, surrounding him. The blankets he uses aren’t weighted, but they’re heavy and thick and he keeps his air conditioning turned up so he doesn’t have to give up the feeling of nestling into them in the heat of summer. Along with the white noise machine on his night stand, all of it is chosen to trick him into sleep. To keep back the feeling that night time in his own apartment is the loneliest part of Buck’s day. 

It wasn’t perfect, pre-covid. It’s been a long time since Buck had someone share his space, share his bed, someone he could reach out and touch whenever he wanted. But his life outside of home was full. He didn’t lack for closeness; in some ways he had more than he’d ever dreamed. So while he had lonely moments, they weren’t a constant ache in his chest. 

These months though. These months hurt. Facetime isn’t a substitute for curling up on Maddie’s couch with whatever silly-labeled wine she’d liked best that week. It’s definitely not a substitute for Eddie’s couch and losing to Christopher over and over again at Mario Kart. The last time they talked, Eddie had reached over and ruffled Christopher’s hair and Buck felt it. First as a tingle up the back of his scalp and then as a bruise to his heart. Eddie’s touches, so constant and so casual, became essential somewhere along the way and Buck feels himself reaching out for them even when he knows it’s not allowed.

“Six feet, gentlemen,” Bobby says gently when their orbits swing toward each other and Eddie makes a dramatic show of raising his hands and taking a giant step backward. Bobby just shakes his head and reminds them it’s the price they all agreed to pay for not wearing masks in the firehouse. 

Buck starts dreading the end of a call when taking off his heavy turnout coat leaves him feeling cold and exposed. He folds into himself, claiming a chair, putting in earbuds and crossing his arms tight over his chest, pulling his knees up even though he knows better than to put his shoes on the furniture.

It’s a similar position to the one he lies in at night, clinging to the pillows, trying to draw comfort out of the smooth fabric. In those moments, his loneliness is so loud it might as well be a beacon sent out into the universe, a burning shout of need. 

And that shout is heard. 

***

“Have you guys heard of exploding head syndrome?” Buck asks one morning when the calls are slow and the crew is all lingering in a lazy way rather than rushing off to take care of their other duties. 

“What, the band?” Chimney asks.

“I think it was an album,” Bobby says.

“No,” Buck sighs. “It’s a sleep thing. It’s this loud noise that you hear when you’re falling asleep like a massively loud explosion. Only it’s just happening in your head.”

“Is your brain actually exploding? Like an aneurism?”

“No. It’s just the noise.” 

Just the loudest noise Buck had ever heard. It woke him up with a feeling of abject terror. It was an explosion that didn’t echo. It just rang, clear and true through his eardrums like the end of the world. Even as he struggled out of his sheets, searching for the source so he could run from it, part of him knew it wasn’t a sound that left any physical evidence. What could it even be? A sound like that? An old fashioned safe dropping from two stories up? A car crash without the crunch? Just a high speed collision of two immovable objects, all of the equal and opposite reaction of their momentum forced to escape as sound. 

Once his heart rate had slowed, he googled. He wasn’t initially sure what to google. “Ridiculously loud noise woke me up” seemed at once too vague and too specific but sure enough. Exploding Head Syndrome. It was what happened. Obviously. But Buck remained too full of adrenaline to sleep. As he sat up in bed, he couldn’t shake the urge to look around. Under the bed, in the closet, behind the shower curtain. He didn’t feel alone. 

“I’m just glad it’s happening in your head instead of mine,” Chim laughs. “Maybe try putting some earmuffs on before you go to sleep tonight.” ***

The sound doesn’t reappear. Buck is relieved, but sleeping doesn’t get any easier. He tries to soothe himself with obscenely long hot baths, by ordering a hoodie that’s more fluff than fabric, by running a foam roller across his muscles, trying to pry them into relaxation. It’s so much work and it does so little. Buck’s entire body is screaming out at all times for a hug or a massage or even just a really fucking good haircut. It takes longer and longer to fall asleep and the little sleep he does get isn’t restful. It’s like whatever meager comfort he manages to give himself during the day is leached away in the night. 

He doesn’t even notice the bruises at first. It’s an easy enough thing to miss. Their job is heavy physical labor and Buck barrels through a scene like a one man stampede. Bruises are as common as the smell of smoke in his hair. The ones Eddie points out on his arm though are different. 

Buck’s carrying a kitten at the time. The fire they’ve been fighting is beaten back to smolders. Buck shucked off his coat, wet and dripping from the hose and too cold for the shaking animal, and grabbed a blanket from the ambulance to wrap her up and cradle her against his chest. He’s rubbing his face against her damp fur, feeling the softness like a concentrated shot of endorphins when Eddie asks, “What the hell happened to you?”

“What are you talking about?” Buck asks and Eddie’s hands are pushing up the sleeves of his shirt, rolling them up to his shoulders while Buck’s trying to hold onto the cat.

“You don’t feel that?”

“Feel what?” He’s maybe a little ruder than he means to be but the sleep deprivation makes him cranky and the touch deprivation means that Eddie’s gently probing fingers feel like a dream on his skin. The care in the brush of his hands makes Buck’s knees weak. 

“Your arms are bruised to hell,” Eddie says. “Are you- Did someone grab you or something?”

“I swear to god, Eddie. I don’t feel anything.” Except grumpy and exhausted and longing. 

“Jesus, it goes all the way up your shoulders. It looks like-” He stops, pulling Buck’s collar aside and tracing a small spot that Buck can’t see even if he turns his head. “They look like fingerprints, Buck. Are you seeing someone?” 

“What!”

“These are handprints. And they’re dark. Do you really not-”

Buck wrenches himself from Eddie’s grasp so he can turn around and look at him because if Eddie’s really accusing him of putting everyone at risk by trying to date someone right now… But Eddie’s face is nothing but concerned. Which makes Buck scared. 

“Is it really that bad?” he asks, clutching the cat to his chest. 

Eddie rubs a hand up Buck’s back (it feels so good, hot like Buck’s t-shirt isn’t even between them and is it just because it’s been so long or just because it’s Eddie?) without looking around to see if Bobby’s watching and that’s really all the confirmation Buck needs. It’s bad. 

***

After that, Buck starts to feel them. He wakes up and he can’t breathe. He wakes up and he can’t move. He wakes up on the floor. He spends every moment that he’s asleep fighting to wake up. Buck can only remember fragments and pieces of the torment but he knows that it feels like drowning. Like being held down. Like being grabbed and pulled and smothered. He thinks he remembers long dark hair. 

Google is useless. Sleep apnea. Sleep paralysis. Sleep terrors. Even sleepwalking. None of them can account for the worst of it. For the physical signs of whatever is happening to him while he sleeps.

Bruises bloom blue on the pale skin of his hips. Purple on his ribs. Green on the back of his neck. The ones that Eddie saw first on his arm fade to yellow.  A long scratch runs down the side of his face. Dark circles under his eyes grow darker every day. 

“What’s happening to me?” he asks his reflection.

All he wants is to be able to ask that question with someone’s arms around him. He wants anyone to hold him tight and shush his fears and tell him that it’ll be okay. 

It’s easier than he thought to hide it. Buck just chooses his shower times strategically and opts for a long sleeve uniform, complaining that he ruined his short sleeves ones by grabbing bleach instead of detergent while he was half asleep. 

He’s always half asleep these days.

At least in the bunk rooms, he gets some semblance of rest. Whatever presence he feels in his own bedroom doesn’t cross this threshold and Buck sleeps deeply, almost missing the scream of the alarm. 

“It’s getting worse isn’t it?” Eddie asks, cornering Buck in the locker room. Buck can’t help but nod and Eddie steps closer as if to touch him. 

Buck flinches away and Eddie pulls up short as though hitting an invisible wall. 

He breathes Buck’s name on a pained exhale and says, “You have to get some help. Whatever it is…”

“I don’t know what it is!’ Buck answers. “It’s living in my house and it- it- God. Maybe I need an exorcism.”

“Maybe you should come home with me,” Eddie suggests and Buck recoils again. 

The firehouse seems safe but there’s no guarantee that Buck won’t be followed anywhere else. He’s desperate to be safe--desperate for Eddie to make him safe--but not at the expense of anyone else. Not when he doesn’t know what he’s facing. 

“Okay,” Eddie says. “But call me in the morning.” 

***

The burned girl screams louder when she sees Buck than she did while they were putting out the inferno of her car. 

“Stay away from me!” She shrieks. “Stay awaystayawaystayaway.”

“Miss, we’re going to need you to calm down,” Hen says to her. “Buck, you wanna move aside? Like preferably somewhere she can’t see you?”

Buck does because the patient’s well-being is more important than anything, but his skin feels like ice. He wants to demand to know what else she sees when she looks at him. Wants to know how she knows. For half a second, he imagines following her to the hospital and waiting for her outside the glass doors.  

They aren’t far from her house (52% of accidents happen within five miles of home) and the girl’s father arrives on the scene before they finish prepping her to be transported. And he sees Buck. 

He freezes when he does, but at least he doesn’t scream. He ignores Buck completely, instead going to the ambulance where his daughter is still crying and trying to soothe her. Hen offers to let him ride in the ambulance, but he says that he’ll take his car. 

“You’re in a lot of trouble,” he says, returning to Buck as the ambulance pulls away. “What you summoned… That’s not a normal ghost.”

“I didn’t summon anything! It just happened.” Buck’s voice is high-pitched and he just barely stops himself from grabbing onto the man’s arm, but the man doesn’t seem afraid of Buck the way his daughter was. “What is it? How do I make it go away?”

The man shrugs, “She came in through an open door. Which door depends on the person. But she’ll do everything in her power to keep it pried open. All you can do is try to close it again.”

It is… the least helpful advice Buck’s ever been given in his entire life. But the man’s daughter is on her way to the hospital and he needs to follow her. He vanishes. 

***

They’re about to have four days off. Buck’s bracing himself to meet the woman in his dreams. To look around in that dreamspace for open doors and slam them shut again. He can do it. He has to. 

***

The next night Buck wakes up and he can’t move. He’s paralyzed on the bed. He’s paralyzed on the bed and someone’s standing at the top of his stairs. 

She’s not… right. Buck can’t quite see in the dark and he can’t lift his head but the woman on his stairs isn’t solid in the way a human should be. The outline of her is strong, but it’s like she’s a shell wrapped around a cavernous emptiness. She’s across the room but she’s already pulling at him. 

Buck tries to thrash but his arms are pinned as if her hands are already on his wrists. He needs to reach the lamp. If he can just turn on the light.

“Get away from me,” he pleads and the part of her face where lips should be turns up, revealing pointed teeth that stand in front of a void.

“You called me,” she says. The words don’t come from her mouth and Buck doesn’t hear them with his ears. It’s wrong wrong wrong. He throws himself hard to the left and he rolls, flying further than he expected to, suddenly free, and crashes hard into the table, knocking the lamp to the floor. It shatters, bulb and all and pain scrapes across Buck’s shoulders.

“Poor boy,” the ghost mocks. “Poor lonely boy. Just wants someone to touch him. Just wants someone to stay with him. I heard you.”

“No,” Buck says and he tries to scramble, but his feet can’t find purchase on the floor. “I didn’t want you.”

He doesn’t deny the call. Can’t deny it when his heart is reaching out in the same pleading, desperate way now. Please. Anyone.

In the time it takes to blink she’s in front of him. She’s so close. She shouldn’t be able to get that close without standing on him but she’s there. Her voice whispers in his mind, “You should choose your words more carefully.”

And then her hands are around his throat.

The pressure is insistent and her motive is unmistakable. She’s going to kill him. She’s going to squeeze the life out of him. He’s going to die here and Eddie’s going to find his body because Eddie’s going to come rushing over as soon as Buck doesn’t call him in the morning and what if this thing is still here waiting for him. 

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie.

Buck’s mind yells for him like his lungs did when Eddie was buried except now it’s Buck who’s too far away, who’s trapped somewhere deep and dark with no hope of escape. 

He tries to breathe and his breath whistles. It’s like the first time someone handed him a styrofoam cup of coffee and he tried to drink through the plastic stir stick. Black stars twinkle in the room and tears build in his eyes. 

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. 

There’s a shift as she adjusts her grip and it’s enough for the stars to clear. Buck throws himself forward, shaking his head like he isn’t a ragdoll trapped in the jaws of a rottweiler, like he has a hope of breaking free and then he does. The ghost is thrown off balance and Buck jumps, scrambling back over his bed for the stairs. He can’t even think about defeating her, finding out the secrets of where she came from, closing whatever fucking door he left open. All Buck wants to do is live. 

A force behind him swells like a wave to lift Buck off his feet and slams him into the bathroom door. He expects to slide off of it and onto the floor, but he’s held in place hard, his head turned and his cheek pressed to the wood, toes just brushing the ground. 

“You begged me to come,” the ghost hisses. “I’m here for you, lonely boy. Don’t fight so hard.”

A hand skims up his back, nearly gentle, but leaving a numbness in its path and Buck shudders in disgust. He jerks against the door, but his arms are wrenched behind him and he screams. He realizes it’s the first time he has.

“I didn’t call you! I don’t want you here! Get out.”

“I came because you needed me.” A long finger trails down his cheek and Buck whimpers. She’s taller than him now. Was she always? “I could feel you from so far away. An aching ball of need. I’m here for you now.” 

“I don’t need you,” Buck growls and the room flashes like lightning. He hopes to fall, almost expects to fall, where he can scramble again but instead, Buck is hurled away from the door completely. He has time to see that he’s above the stairs, throw his hands out uselessly and then he’s frozen. 

Buck hovers there in the air above the stairs, dangling in the grip of the ghost, like a cat grabbed by his scruff. Kicking wildly, he grabs for the invisible hand that’s holding him, yelling “No, no, no, no.”

“Need me now?” the ghost asks. 

Smothering the terrified part of him that nearly answers yes, Buck forces himself to stop twisting and just hang there. He doesn’t want to fall. He doesn’t want to die. But what he needs isn’t going to come from the ghost. 

“No,” he answers. 

And he can’t explain how he knows what her face looks like when it’s screwed up in fury, but he does. It’s vicious and vindictive and Buck’s not surprised at all when he’s flicked away from her and down the flight of stairs. 

He seems to hit each one as he falls, something that should be impossible with the speed that he’s traveling and the force with which he bounces off of them, but the ghost is obviously responsible. Air leaves his lungs as his ribs crack against the stairs. His elbows and knees scrape. His head bangs the rail. Buck’s long, long legs seem to tangle as he falls, cartwheeling him down and he lands in a heap at the bottom. 

As he tries to figure out if he can still move, the door flies open. 

Warmth rushes in. Buck hadn’t even realized how cold it had gotten since he first woke up, but the room seems to thaw around him. It’s like sunlight. 

It’s Eddie. 

“Oh fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Evan. Buck. I’ve got you, Buck. I’ve got you.” 

Tenderly, he scoops Buck off the floor, unsnarling the mess of his limbs and feeling all over for the damage he can’t see. “I’ve got you. Open your eyes. Come on.” 

The ghost stands at the top of the stairs and then she’s at the bottom. Buck clambers backward again, digging his heels into the floor to push himself upright in front of Eddie, to try and hide him from view. Eddie doesn’t seem to see the ghost. All of his attention is still on Buck, stroking his hair, promising over and over that he’s there, that he has Buck. 

All of the ghost’s attention is on Buck too. “You need me,” she says. “You called for me.” She sounds different now. Bitter. Like Buck wasted her precious time. 

“I don’t need you,” he says and he reaches behind him to grab Eddie’s hand. “I already have everything I need.” 

Lights flicker and that impossibly loud sound bangs in Buck’s ears again. He gets one last look at the ghost’s vicious, violent visage and then she’s gone. 

And then Buck wakes up.

#whumptober2021 #No.6 #touch starved #no.30 #ghosts #fic #911 #strangulation #nightmares #beating #ghost fight #look idek #911fic #evan buckley #eddie diaz #i can't stress enough that i have no idea what's happening here #does this ghost represent something? #she definitely should! #and yet! #she is but a misguided creature of the underworld! #there are 24 more prompt days left? #what if I'm not allowed to write more than 1000 words for any of them? #because whatever i'm doing now is unsustainable

[outrunningthedark]

Have you ever watched a Buddie scene and found yourself wondering WHY certain choices were made? Consider this post my attempt at compiling the moments that have left us screaming internally.  dedicated to @evcndiaz + @stuckyevanstanfan 💕💕 👀 Buck feeling threatened by Eddie’s...everything during his introduction [2x01] 👀 What was the reason for Eddie biting his lip while listening to Buck go off in the gym? [2x01] 👀 Buck...has a praise kink? Or something? Why must he react LIKE THAT when Eddie says “You can have my back any day”? [2x01] 👀 Wouldn’t you love to know what the direction for the school scene in 2x03 was? Why was *that* when Oliver started to realize Buck and Eddie were going to mean a lot to each other? [2x03] 👀 The complete and utter lack of personal space as they discuss their current “type” [2x04]  👀 Eddie making a move towards Buck once he sees him speaking to Taylor in the firehouse. Was that...jealousy? [2x06] 👀 Buck with the heart eyes while watching Eddie carry Christopher after meeting Santa [2x10] 👀 Thumb Placement / hand on Buck’s waist during the hug at Buck’s welcome back party [3x01] 👀 AGAIN WITH THE THUMB PLACEMENT AS EDDIE TELLS BUCK “THERE’S NOBODY IN THIS WORLD I TRUST WITH MY SON MORE THAN YOU.” [3x03] [If Thumb Placement isn’t a Thing before they kiss, what is the fucking point?]  👀 WHY WAS EDDIE STARING AT BUCK’S ASS IN 3X04??? W H Y ??? 👀 The confrontation in the supermarket that sounded like a parent (Eddie) arguing with his former partner (Buck) over his absence in their son’s life [3x05] 👀 The Kitchen Scene™. Buck sauntering over to Eddie while holding his belt buckle? Eddie’s smirk when Buck says, “You wanna go for the title?” (even though he was referring to a video game). I just. That ~energy~ was approved for a reason. [3x09] 👀 Eddie’s Fond Face making an appearance as he watches Buck hang out with Christopher and Denny (compared to his uneasiness when observing Christopher and Ana in season four...) [3x10] 👀 Buck losing his ever-loving mind when he realizes Eddie’s stuck underground + the stone cold expression as Bobby hands out instructions (everything about Buck’s reaction was certainly... interesting) [3x15] 👀 “Buck, Stop.” + “His fiancée's Abby.” had a bit of an edge to them, don’t you think? [3x18] 👀 Let’s not kid ourselves. We ALL want to know how much instruction was given for Buckley-Diaz family game night [4x03] 👀 The mix of compassion and concern in Eddie’s eyes when Buck is taking his anger out on the punching bag (fun fact: not all of the footage taken from Eddie’s POV was used in the final edit) [4x04] 👀 “I know you did.” with the softest eyes EVER. Dude. Just kiss him already. [4x05] 👀 WHAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE OPENING SCENE IN JINX? WHY WAS EDDIE MAKING THOSE FACES? [4x06] 👀 Was Eddie stopping himself from touching Buck as they laughed at their team on helium in the script? Or a slip up? A personal choice, perhaps? [4x06] 👀 Eddie looking visibly uncomfortable when Ana says she “knows” there hasn’t been anyone in Eddie’s life as a romantic partner since Shannon [4x08] 👀 The absolute husbands energy they give off when Eddie returns from his date (why the rolling up of the sleeves?) [4x08] 👀 Eddie on the outside looking in at Buck’s apartment (coming off as a pining bestie] [4x12]  👀 When Buck says he doesn’t trust anyone, the rest of the firefam seems unamused, but Eddie is watching him carefully [4x12] 👀 Aren’t we all wondering what the intense, prolonged eye contact was about after Eddie gets shot? [4x13] 👀 THE ENTIRE AMBULANCE SCENE. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. [4x14] 👀 “Hey, Buck.” // “Hey.” & Buck looks like he can finally breathe again??? [4x14] 👀 After Buck admits he thinks he should have been the one to get shot, Eddie’s reaction is basically “What the fuck did you just say to me?” [4x14] 👀 The frustration oozing out of Eddie as he explains Buck isn’t expendable (to him) + the audible sigh that was included Unlike previous lists I’ve created that focus on actual dialogue, this one aims to highlight body language and tone, two things that cannot be contributed to the script itself. 

#tv: 911 #tv: 9-1-1 #buddie

[tiredofsilence]

A rant about Buddie from a narrative standpoint that nobody asked for

TLDR: from a narrative standpoint it would not make a lot of sense to not have Buddie become canon if you look at both their current storylines and any possible future storylines. Also if they were a straight pairing wouldn’t be doubting it in the first place.

As much as we like to talk about fictional characters as people with feelings who make decisions, the reality is that them and the things they experience are written by people, and those people usually plan out these storylines to make them interesting for the viewer. I am in no way an expert in any of this, but I have seen a lot of tv series and even more romantic storylines so I have a vague idea of how most of these storylines play out.

I just want to start off by saying that from a narrative standpoint I really don’t see this going anywhere other than a relationship. Nothing else would really make sense. To illustrate this properly I’m going to divide this rant into two sections: their current storylines and future storylines if/when their relationship becomes canon

Their current storylines

Both Buck and Eddie are on a sort of a journey of self-discovery this season. Buck’s is about his identity; who he is and how he fits into the world. Eddie’s is more about starting a new chapter and moving on from his past.

These storylines seem like they run parallel to each other, but they’re actually quite intertwined. A large part of Buck’s identity is his relationship with Eddie and Christopher and the family dynamic that they have created. Similarly, Eddie has found a great support in Buck, and he is a big part in the new chapter that he is entering in his life, and someone he can lean on to help him move on from this past. Both of their storylines can not come to a satisfying and logical conclusion without the other person being a big part of it, simply because that’s how their dynamic has already been established and it wouldn’t make sense for that to change. The only change I see is them actually becoming better at communicating and getting even closer.

To add onto that, if either of them were to get girlfriends (cause if Buddie doesn’t happen the SOs will be female lbr) the relationship they form with those girlfriends would have to exist alongside the relationship they have with each other. Because they are incredibly close and it wouldn’t make sense for either of them to loosen their friendship because we’ve already seen that if they are away from each other even a little too long they both lose their damn minds. So just imagine having a boyfriend that basically co-parents his best friend’s kid and spends most of his time at that best friend’s house or them at his house. It would just be a super weird dynamic, and wouldn’t make any sense from a narrative perspective.

I could go on about this for much longer time but I’ll move on to the second part: future storylines

Simply put, Buddie would be an absolute goldmine for storylines if they were to get into a relationship. There is simply just a lot of potential there and I’ll highlight some of them.

The most obvious one is, of course, their sexualities. There’s already a lot of potential there, for themselves but also for the people around them.

Then there’s the idea of a relationship within the same fire department. How do they separate their personal lives from their professional lives. Maybe they keep their relationship a secret for a while because they’re worried about one of them having to go to another department. Also there’s the fact that they would basically spend all day every day with each other, and how they keep their relationships with other people and make sure they have time for themselves.

Christopher has a lot of potential as well. Buck having to go from just Buck to actually being a parent and having to discipline him and take care of him. And Eddie having to come to terms with the idea of there being another parent in the picture, and basically just them having to figure out how they operate as a family.

There’s also their families/the people around them. Maybe Eddie’s family don’t trust Buck to co-parent Christoper. And, similarly, maybe the people around Buck believe that he’s not responsible enough to be a parent. Or maybe there’s some spicy homophobia.

Then of course there’s the relationship itself. Buck and Eddie both have a shit ton of baggage. They have trauma, abandonment issues, familial problems and a whole lot of other stuff. Them finding how they can work as a couple and dealing with all their problems together would probably bring a lot of angst but also a lot of fluff.

If you’ve made it this far kudos to you. I have plenty of more to say but I think this gets my point across pretty well. I feel like they’d have to make many weird twists and turns narratively for any other outcome to make sense. And of we’re all honest with ourselves if one of them was female it would be 100% certain that they end up together. But since queerbaiting sadly still exists we can never know for sure.

#911 fox #evan buckley #eddie diaz #buddie

[buckttommy]

I think there's like... a major conflict in this fandom as to what Buck's actual role in the Diaz’s lives are, so let me try to clear this up.

Buck x Eddie:

Best friends above anything and everything else. There may or may not be some romantic feelings involved in the development of their relationship, but currently, those feelings (if they do in fact exist) take second place to the reality. Buck and Eddie play crucial roles in each other's lives, and though these roles are different, they are also equal.

Eddie is Buck's emotional support. In crisis (be it emotional or physical), Eddie is there. When Buck is criticizing himself, Eddie is there. When Buck is having a bad mental health period, Eddie is there. He comes alongside of and supports Buck emotionally by being the one to listen to, encourage him, and give him the push he needs it is required. Eddie, in this role, also attempts to protect Buck whether from himself (punching bag scene), or from other people (warning him that his parents were at the station). To sum up Eddie's role in Buck's life would be: Emotional Support and Protector.

Buck, on the other hand, fulfills a more concrete role in Eddie's life, particularly in the way he comes alongside of him to help him care for his son. Buck does for Eddie what Eddie cannot. When Eddie was struggling to find care for Christopher, he called Carla. When Eddie learned he was going to be separated from his son during the holidays, he made it possible for Chris to come to the station for family dinner. Buck fills in the blanks of Eddie's life relative to his care for his son. We see this even in the tsunami arc, wherein Buck took on the role of sole care provider when Christopher was in distress -- Eddie was not there, therefore Buck once again did what Eddie could not do. These instances do not make Buck Christopher's parent, or even a father-figure, but their roles in each other's lives are so intricately involved at this point that, to suddenly vacate the other's life (i.e. lawsuit arc) would cause a major disruption. It is for this reason that I believe that, even though we haven't seen them interact much since Ana entered the picture, Buck is still an active part of Eddie's life. I've seen people assume/suggest he's been abandoned by Eddie and I don't think that's true. The disruption would be too severe and there isn't any cause for Buck to vacate their lives at this point. Reduced role? Possibly. Vacated role? Absolutely not.

Buck x Chris

Christopher is a child who has experienced a lot of flux and turmoil in his short life. He grew up with a single mom (who may, or may not have accidentally treated him like he was a burden), then with a single dad, only after being abandoned by the woman he spent most time with. He moved away from his major support system/family in Texas, his mom came back only for her to pass away a few weeks/months later. He experienced a time of relative peace and stability, and then the pandemic hit, and whatever ties he’d established with people (including school friends, and those in his dad’s circle) were put to the test. We don't see enough of Christopher on screen to be able to extrapolate what, exactly, his mental state is at any given time but given that he is a child who has grown up with an enormous lack of stability (despite the best efforts of everyone in his life), we can assume that he views many fundamental relationships as impermanent. This does not mean he is against them, only means that he does not put much stock into them. People come into his life easily, whether they stay or not is a whole other matter unto itself. I believe this is why, despite his initial reservations, he warmed up to Ana so quickly. In his mind, she’s just a woman, and though her role in his father’s life is important right now, that role is subject to change at any given moment. 

Chris’s conversation with Buck in 4 x 08 is so important for a number of reasons, primarily because, of all the people in his life, aside from his father, I think Christopher views Buck as the most permanent person he has. This is expressed by his blatant trust in Buck, to not only protect him physically (he ran away from home because he knew he’d be safe with Buck) as well as emotionally (he went to Buck because he knew his feelings would be heard and treated with respect). Christopher does not view Buck as a parent. Let me say that again: Christopher does not view Buck as a parent, but he does view him as an inextricable, immovable piece of his life. The lawsuit arc notwithstanding, if Christopher were to lose Buck permanently, given that he’s at such a formative age, such a loss would undoubtedly continue to negatively impact the way he views fundamental relationships. 

Chris's role in Buck's life, on the other hand, is different and changes at any given moment. When Eddie is present, Christopher is "my best friend's kid." He defers to Eddie (as he should) for guidance, and when Eddie gives a command, he respects it. When Eddie is not present, Christopher might as well be his own son. Buck, when alone with Christopher, is incredibly paternal. Obviously, given Buck's upbringing with his parents, we know why it's so important to him to "raise" Chris with love and understanding in whatever capacity he is allowed to. He pours a lot into Christopher, whether that be time, money, or affection. Christopher is important to him, not just as an extension of Eddie, but on his own merit, and vice versa. Both Buck he and Christopher went through a traumatic experience together, which only deepened the path of divergence from Buck/Chris viewing the other as Just Eddie’s Kid/Just Dad’s Friend to someone individually important. They communicate outside of Eddie, they spend time together outside of Eddie. Aside from Maddie and Eddie, Christopher is the most important person in Buck’s life. There’s not a single thing he wouldn’t do for him, and Eddie, knowing intimately who Buck is and what Christopher means to him, easily allows him.

Buck x Eddie x Chris

Oliver said himself that without Chris and Eddie in his life, Buck wouldn’t be able to deal. This is incredibly true. Buck, Eddie, and Christopher each play important roles in each other’s lives, roles that are not easily discarded or replaced. If you pluck one thread from a blanket, the whole thing unravels. It’s the same thing here. That’s not to say that neither Buck, nor Chris/Eddie would never recover without the other, but the fallout/separation, especially if not mutual, would be messy, painful, more trouble than it’s worth, and would leave lasting emotional impact on everyone involved. Again, this is why I believe that Buck is still an active part of Eddie and Christopher’s lives, even though he is currently in a relationship. Their family is a very strong, cohesive, and thriving unit built upon love, trust, understanding, and commitment. Together, Buck and Eddie make sure Christopher is not lacking emotionally, mentally, or physically, and Christopher remains the reason both of these men, who came together carrying so much emotional baggage and trauma, continue to try be better than who they were yesterday. 

Conclusion/TLDR

I love the “Buck is Christopher’s other parent!” headcanons and fics just as much as anyone, but that idea is more fanon than canon at this point, and it’s important to recognize the distinction (even if we all continue to ignore it). Buck, Eddie, and Chris play major roles in each other’s lives, and the roles they play in each other’s lives are not lesser just because they are not romantic/parental. A family consists of people who love each other, and would do anything for each other, and even if nothing in Buck and Eddie’s relationship develops beyond the point it is now, the three of them are still a family and that’s never going to change.  

#pretty sunshine boy #evan buckley #buddie #christopher diaz #911 on fox #jack.txt #tv: 911 #This got long as hell man #You guys better reblog this #100

[milenadaniels]

Before the Night Fades, 8.6k - POV Outsider on Buck/Eddie double date shenanigans (AO3)

“I have a bottle of champagne, four champagne flutes, one engagement ring to go into one of those champagne flutes, and a note to deliver it all to table 34 with dessert,” Tomas explains, wide-eyed, throwing his hand back to the prep station where said champagne is waiting on ice next to four flutes and a small ring box.

“Okay?”

“Okay so there’s two men and two women and I have no idea who’s getting proposed to. I’m not even 100% on who came with who."

---

Or, EddieAna and BuckTaylor double date and it ruins everyone's night.

The nearly-post-COVID return to normal rush is going exactly as well as management at the Tilted Cactus expected it would, which is to say it’s going as miserably as the waitstaff at the Tilted Cactus expected it would.

The owners lost a lot of money to lockdowns, diminished capacity and the general (extremely warranted) paranoia of co-mingling in public during an international plague for the sake of overpriced appetizers. And despite accurately predicting the business would boom once the doors re-opened, management didn’t feel the need to account for more staff to serve said business.

So despite owing $34k on her student loans (that’s after a generous gift from both her parents and her maternal grandmother), barely being able to afford rent in LA, and the utter lack of career prospects, Mere is taking a break in the backroom, next to the dirty mop bucket, mentally running through her finances before she officially gives her notice.

She can’t quit, she knows that.

Turns out leaving New Zealand for LA with nothing but a dream and the idea that if Taika could do it so could she was not the most future-proof plan she could have come up with. The starving artist thing was so 2010.

But Mere’s made up her mind. She’s not made for this abuse. This is bullshit. She’s going to pack up, go home, and you know, do...something else. She’ll figure it out.

Mere pulls herself up from her indelicate crouch on some empty crates and goes in search of a piece of paper — or a fucking napkin, who cares — on which to write up her official resignation.

“No, in section 3A,” she hears Tomas fake-whisper. He’s one of the few new hires to grace these hallowed halls and still thinks it’s disrespectful to talk shit about customers even in the backroom. Umida, a five year veteran of this distinguished profession, has been trying to disabuse him of this particular nonsense.

“Where the fuck is section 3A, Tommy? We have sections 1 to 9, we don’t have any letters.”

“The new sidewalk sections have letters, to distinguish them from inside.”

“You mean sections 10 and 11?”

“...Mr. Peters said they’re using letters.”

“Mr. Peters can swallow my entire ass. The sidewalk sections are literally right outside the door from 9, why would they not be called 10 and 11?”

“Or ‘Hell On Earth’ and ‘Kill Me Please’, as we call them colloquially,” Mere offers, startling Tomas as she pushes through the swinging door she’d been hiding behind. Patio dining is highly encouraged and an excellent way to dine if one has patios. The Tilted Cactus does not have patios. It has a temporary license to put tables on the dirty sidewalk outside their restaurant, where waitstaff get to weave around pedestrians, dogs, and carts like they’re completing an obstacle course.

“Yeah, those work,” Umida agrees, emphasizing her point with a dispirited index finger in Mere’s direction.

“Okay, whatever,” Tomas says with a pained eye roll. “Can you please just check it out and let me know?”

“What’s happening?” Mere asks. She’s leaving this popsicle stand (ideally, on fire as she walks away slowly into the night) but she’s also starved of both human attention and the inherent drama of the culinary world so she’ll be damned if she misses out on one final showdown.

Tomas takes a breath to steel himself. “I have a bottle of champagne, four champagne flutes, one engagement ring to go into one of those champagne flutes, and a note to deliver it all to table 34 with dessert,” Tomas explains, wide-eyed, throwing his hand back to the prep station where said champagne is waiting on ice next to four flutes and a small ring box.

“Okay?”

“Okay so there’s two men and two women and I have no idea who’s getting proposed to. I’m not even 100% on who came with who.”

“You don’t have gaydar where you come from?” Umida asks in perfect deadpan.

Tomas glares harder, crosses his arms and juts one hip out. “I come from San Francisco. We invented gaydar. I’m saying I’m pretty sure the guys are together, but I’m also pretty sure they’re each with the women they’re sitting next to. So figure that out.”

“Like a double thruple?” Mere asks, now actually becoming curious.

“Like a ‘I don’t know what y’all are smoking this far north but I don’t understand your weird relationship dynamics and I’m still on probation and I can’t lose this job because I can’t move back in with my brother because I will murder him and I can’t be an only child with aging parents in this economy so can you please just go out there and tell me what the fuck is happening so I can throw this ring at the right person and punch out sometime before I ‘accidentally’ fall on the meat clever downstairs?’ kind of situation.”

Umida and Mere share a glance.

“Okay, well, don’t despair, new guy,” Mere says with a pat on his arm. “Save the meat cleaving for the capitalist elite. We got you. Let the pros handle this.”

“What did the note say?” Umida asks. “One ‘e’ or two? We can at least eliminate half of our options.”

Tomas does not check the note to spot whether the note-taker had written ‘fiancé’ or ‘fiancée’. He stares them down and fips the note in his fingers so the text faces them.

“It says ‘finance’.”

“Ah.”

“We’re going to need a more hands-on investigation, then,” Mere announces.

—————————-

Mere goes first, only because Umida was on her way to swap a side dressing for her table when Tomas intercepted her.

Mere carries a jug of water and makes the rounds of the outdoor tables, trying to hold in her visible distaste for the pseudo-patio vibe the owners tried to make happen out here. There’s a bike stand and a taxi stand two feet from where people are trying to have a romantic dinner. Every now and again, the LA traffic gets rowdy and noisy, completely butchering the atmosphere. There’s a shitty speaker funneling in some Frank Sinatra but it really does nothing to help.

But after this mystery is solved, none of this will be her problem anymore.

Like Tomas said, there are two men and two women sitting like cardinal points around a round table. The women are on the north and east ends, the men on the south and west ones. Two of them are brunets, one a redhead, and one a blond. They’re all disgustingly gorgeous.

And that’s all she’s got.

“The ravioli sounds so good,” the brunette woman says, casting a look at the brunet man to her side.

“Yeah, it does,” he says.

“Mm,” the blond man disagrees. “It’s got feta.”

“What’s wrong with feta?” Asks the redheaded woman.

“Absolutely nothing is wrong with feta,” he responds with a superior smile directed at the man next to him who’s preemptively adopting the look of someone ready to hear some bullshit. “Unless you have an underdeveloped palate and are simply overwhelmed by such strong delicacies as a moderately salty cheese.”

“Okay, don’t talk to me about an underdeveloped palate, Pennsylvania,” the other man responds, posturing despite the softness of his eyes.

“Hey, I said nothing to besmirch the great state of Texas. Texas is a wonder of culinary delight. I’m saying you’re...a simple man.”

“Feta’s disgusting and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on,” the brunet says with smug finality, holding the other man’s eyes until they’re both smirking and looking back at their menus.

Well then.

Mere’s a little bummed as she fills the water at table 36. She’d been hoping the mystery would run longer than 2 whole minutes, but these guys are definitely together. So the mystery will only come down to who’s getting eng—

“Thankfully Chris inherited a more refined palate,” the blond man — Pennsylvania — chirps as the last word.

“He did,” the brunette woman chimes in with a playful smile. “He loves my cooking. You both loved that greek salad I made last week, didn’t you? That had feta in it.”

“It did!” the brunet man replies, slipping his hand overtop hers. “And I loved it. So clearly context is a factor.”

Mere almost spills the rest of the water all over the lady at table 38 as she takes in the man and woman mooning at each other. Though if it’s any consolation, the redheaded woman looks as unimpressed as Mere feels.

“Yeah, I have no idea,” Mere reports back to Tomas.

“The redheads are playing footsie under the table now. That’s one couple at least right?” Tomas asks. The two of them are parked behind the bar where they can see through the window outside but the exterior tint prevents anyone outside from seeing them. The bar is still used for pouring drinks but the stools are gone — can’t maintain 6 feet between them — so the staff pretty much have the run of this corner of the restaurant.

“He’s not a redhead,” Mere mutters, looking out the window to catch the action. “It’s like a dark blond. And I don’t know, I’m pretty sure the two brunets are together, but then blond guy’s foot is way into the other guy’s space.” For a moment she’s distracted by just how damn long his legs are. “That’s certainly...familiar.”

“They’re lesbians,” Umida declares when she returns from dropping off plates at table 32.

“They’re lesbians?” Tomas parrots skeptically. “I did not get that vibe.”

“I could see lesbian for the redhead, I think,” Mere says. “Don’t know about the brunette.”

“Lesbians come in all flavours,” Umida informs them haughtily. It’s the start of Pride month and her hijab is held together by an “Ally” pin. “You can’t tell someone’s orientation just by looking at them.”

“But you’ve declared them lesbians,” Mere points out.

“Because lesbians are approaching their table and only lesbians know other lesbians.”

“That’s definitely not true,” Tomas reproaches.

“No, she’s right, lesbians coming up!” Mere watches as two more unfairly gorgeous women approach with two young boys in tow. Honestly, screw LA and their beauty standards. The parties look surprised to see each other, but they clearly know each other well. One of the boys stays with the women, but the other one breaks off to join the table.

“No, I mean you can know lesbians without being a lesbian.”

Umida and Mere ignore him.

“Okay, that’s one of their kids, right?” Umida asks. “Lesbians babysitting for date night?”

“He’s got Pennsylvania’s curls,” Mere agrees. "That's the blond guy, by the way, I think he’s from there. Brunet guy is Texas for the time being."

The boy reaches the table and is pulled into a strong hug by Texas, who then directs him to a hug with the brunette.

“Oh, unexpected.” Mere would have sworn he was a dead ringer for Pennsylvania. “But okay, that confirms the hand-holding I saw. We have a set of parents. And unless this is a super modern table, I don’t see the parents being here on dates with other people.”

“Mm, I don’t know.” Umida dithers. “That’s like an auntie hug, not a parent hug. Like if she is the mom, the kid is not happy with her.”

“Wait,” Tomas says.

The boy is wiggling out of Brunette’s grasp and rounding the table to Pennsylvania who’s waiting with a wide smile and open arms, and instead of letting go after, the boy finagles his way onto Pennsylvania’s lap to steal a breadstick. Pennsylvania reaches into the basket for another breadstick to pass to the little boy still waiting with his moms and Mere’s heart tugs a little.

Texas watches on from across the table with unrestrained fondness. His leg shifts to press against Pennsylvania’s who looks up with a smile.

“Boom, gay dads!” Tomas crows.

“And lesbians,” Umida adds.

“Redhead definitely has no part of this,” Mere notes. The woman is smiling but it’s polite and practised, not warm or welcoming. “I guess the brunets could be siblings maybe? Really close siblings?”

Finally, the babysitters make to leave so Pennsylvania kisses the boy’s temple and guides him back to his feet. Texas presses his own kiss to the boy’s curls as he passes, saying something they can’t make out from behind the glass. Brunette gets only a wave as he leaves.

“Gays and lesbians,” Umida concludes smugly.

“Okay, good,” Tomas sighs with relief. “So we know who the couples are, now who’s gettin—”

“Um,” Mere interrupts, pointing at the table.

Redhead’s foot is making its way up Pennsylvania’s leg and he shoots her a grin.

“For fuck’s sake,” Tomas spits as he walks away.

“Did you even take their order yet?” Mere calls after him. He doesn’t answer.

———-

Mere gets pulled away because now that she’s not quitting in outrage until this table 34 drama is over, she figures she should actually get back to work. Happily, having not seen her for the last 20 minutes, Mikael figured she had left or died and had taken over her section. She agrees to split half the tips with him and lets herself be pulled back into the tide of madness.

“Got it figured yet, Tim-Tam?” she asks when she passes him near the bathrooms.

“The guys are sharing their orders,” he says despondently.

“That’s not that incriminating. I split my orders with people. I’m not about to pay full price to discover if I like something.”

“No,” Tomas glares before gesturing to the window with disgust. “They’re sharing their orders.”

Tomas stalks away to hopefully take an herbal break to calm down and Mere goes back to the window just in time to catch the insanity. Mere feels Umida come up behind her and tries to suppress her shiver when her “what in all that is holy” skates across her bare shoulder.

Pennsylvania has just finished piling some of his spaghetti on Texas’ plate, which is exceedingly normal. But now Pennsylvania is reaching for Texas' burger.

“He didn’t cut that,” Umida notes.

“No, he did not.”

They have pretty messy burgers at Tilted Cactus, ones that are hard to share because if you cut them down the middle they tend to lose structural integrity. Of course, this isn’t a big concern if you’re sharing already-bitten-into burgers. Which these absolute freaks are doing.

“Gays and lesbians,” Umida declares again, the earlier smugness replaced with an air of disgust.

But when Umida walks away, Mere watches Brunette wipe something off Texas’ cheek and frowns. One throuple and redheaded side piece? Maybe?

————

“I’m struggling with lesbians as a theory,” Mere tells Umida the next chance she gets at the pickup counter. “I want to believe, but…”

“Yeah, I’m doubting now too. They’re almost exclusively talking to each other. But then I realized it was more getting-to-know-you conversation and this would be a hell of a weird first date.”

“Huh, so heteros all around?”

“Well, I also caught on that they’re spending all this time talking to each other because the guys are like in their own world. Finishing each others’ —”

“Sandwiches?”

“Exactly,” Umida grins, unexpectedly delighted by the reference. “So I don’t know. I really don’t envy Tommy.”

“Me either.”

“Hey Manish,” Umida yells out to the other side of the pickup window, “I’m picking up for Lenore but she’s got a two-seater, why do I have four dishes here?”

“Because Lenore can’t write for shit,” Mere says, picking up the order slip and squinting at the scrawl. “These are for table 24, not 29. It’s a four-seater.”

“Alright, well I guess you’re helping me, then,” Umida says with a wink.

Umida is fully capable of carrying four dishes on her own but she’s asking Mere to come with her so Mere’s already reaching for the plates, hoping the blush on her cheek can be written off as heat from the kitchen.

————-

During a slow stretch, Mere takes it upon herself to refill water and wine glasses in section 10.

From table 32 she can hear them talking about elementary school workloads.

“Oh, ah, I meant to let you know,” Pennsylvania says to Redhead, sitting up in his seat. “I can’t make it to the movies next Friday, can we move it to the next week? I should know my schedule by Wednesday.”

“Sure,” Redhead says with a hint of bite to her pleasant smile. “But I thought you had Friday off.”

“I do,” Pennsylvania says, his lips curving into a small, excited smile, “but Christopher won his class’ public speaking competition and they’re doing a kind of show of all the winners for the parents, and it’s on Friday.”

Mere moves around table 34 and heads for table 36 next, but catches the looks of discomfort on every face aside from Pennsylvania’s. He doesn’t realize he’s said something wrong, but the rest of them have.

“Isn’t that just during school hours?” Brunette woman asks.

Texas hesitates before saying, “yeah, but we’re taking him to Universal after to celebrate.”

Out of pity, Mere doubles back to table 34 and reaches for his water glass to fill. People tend to keep their drama buckled while the waitstaff is there. And sure enough, Redhead glances up and paints a tense smile on her face.

“Yeah, not a problem. That sounds exciting.”

There’s a bite to her words, and by the way his shoulders tense and his fingers curl more tightly around his fork, Texas seems to have picked up on it.

————-

By the end of the entrees, most of the staff have caught onto Tomas’ predicament and one by one everyone from the table-bussers to the cooks have gone out for a smokeless smoke break to try to be the one to divine what the hell is happening at table 34.

None are successful.

“This isn’t even like a romantic date,” Mani laments. “Like none of them are that dressed up and they’re talking about like natural disasters and shit. I don’t get a proposal vibe from like any of them.”

“Who even goes on a double date to propose? Who does that? It’s so tacky!” Gabby says from behind the bar where she’s helping herself to a quick nip before she heads home.

“Who still thinks the ring in the champagne bit is a good idea, is my question. It’s a choking hazard!” Mere says. “How romantic to start off your engagement with a trip to the ER.”

Tomas ignores them all. He looks about 10 minutes away from saying to hell with his probationary status and drinking the next hour away straight out of the vodka bottle at his elbow. “I know it’s Pride and I should be representing but I could really do with a little heteronormativity right now.”

—————-

Tomas is stalling.

Table 34 asked for dessert, of course, and when he vaguely floated the idea of champagne, Texas had readily agreed, so this is happening. The champagne flutes are lined up on a tray, the champagne in them is warming with every minute that passes, and he is no closer to figuring out what to do.

“What if I put all the glasses in the middle and they have to pick which one they want?”

“Okay but the person getting proposed to tonight likely doesn’t know?” Mikael says.

“What if you pretend you didn’t see the instructions?” Shania pitches. “As if we can ever write stuff down correctly anyway. Just say it said to bring out the champagne but nothing about the ring being in a flute! Just hand it back to the proposer and let them get it done.”

“You think we don’t know who the proposee is but we know who the proposer is?” Tomas bites. “If I knew that, Shania, I could have just called them away with a phone call or something and asked them who to give the flute to.”

“Geez,” Shania exclaims, hopping off the bar counter to walk away. “You try to help…”

“And then there were three,” Mario announces as he comes back from another completely unnecessary round of filling water glasses outside.

Tomas’ head snaps up from where he’d been staring into the countertops. “What?”

They all rush to the window and sure enough: Redhead is gone.

“I didn’t see her come in,” Mere says, almost breathlessly. If she’d come in to use the restroom, they would have seen her.

“No, she’s gone-gone,” Mario supplies. “Said she had to get back to work but I’m pretty sure she just wanted out. That’s the chick from the news, you know?”

“People still watch the news?” Mere wondered aloud.

Tomas tsks. “Redhead was the least probable suspect!”

“Well we can rule out Brunette and Pennsylvania as a couple, right?” Umida asks, waiting briefly for the gathered crowd to nod. “Okay, so we’re down to the brunets together, or Pennsylvania and Texas.”

“Or polyamorous,” Mikael sniffs. Mikael is trying polyamory. He doesn’t know there’s a bet going on how long he’ll last. It’s a fine relationship style to get into but one he and his jealousy and insecurity issues are deeply unsuited for.

“Apologies, Mikael, or polyamorous. So you have...yeah, 3 of 3 options left for that ring,” Umida grimaces.

“Wait!” So-Hee cries. She’s supposed to be hosting at the entrance but COVID-19 protocols mean people don’t show up earlier than 5 minutes before their reservation so the podium isn’t very backed up. “What does the ring look like? That could be a clue, right?”

They look to Tomas, whose face is blank.

“You didn’t look?” Mere accuses him, though to be fair it never occurred to her either.

So-Hee pounces on the deep purple velvet box without waiting for Tomas to answer.

“Please god,” Tomas mumbles, grabbing the box out of her hands and prying it open with almost reckless enthusiasm.

All six members of staff currently on duty at the window crowd around, many heads bumping together to catch a glimpse. The ring nestled in the box has a slim, dainty band with a solitaire diamond jutting out proudly, with filigree details on either side.

“Oh thank sweet baby Jesus, that is a woman’s ring!” Tomas nearly yells.

“It could be a man’s ring,” Umida protests weakly, almost sad to see the drama come to an end.

Mere’s a little put out too if she’s being honest. But even if they couldn’t tell from the design, the sizing is way too small to fit on either of table 34’s men’s fingers, as So-Hee demonstrates by plucking the ring up and sliding it onto her own tiny finger.

“Yeah, get it stuck on your sweaty fingers, So-Hee,” Tomas protests almost hysterically, feeling his win come into danger. He wrestles it back off her finger and shoves it back in the box before taking a deep cleansing breath.

“Okay, I’ve got a dessert course to deliver,” he says, the picture of calm professionalism as if he hasn’t spent the last hour losing his entire shit.

———-

They should disperse then, but like brothers in arms after battle, all of them feel the need to stand guard as Tomas prepares to deliver the goods.

Some of them, like So-Hee, stand because they’ve foolishly become emotionally invested in the upcoming nuptial bliss.

Some of them, like Umida, stand because they fell in love with their version of events and they feel the need to properly mourn for what might have been.

“They’re co-parenting that boy,” Umida grumbles. “We all saw that! They can’t deny that!”

And some of them, like Mere, stand because they really can’t be bothered to get back to work.

But stand together they do as Tomas plops the ring in one flute and carries the tray out.

“Excuse me,” comes a voice off to the side of their group.

So-Hee, ever the consummate people-pleaser, actually turns to take care of the customer. The rest of them stay fixed at the window. “Yes, sir, can I help you?”

“Maybe? I couldn’t help but notice that young man taking some champagne out.”

“Yes, would you like to order a bottle as well?” So-Hee pokes Mikael. “We’d be happy to bring some out to you.”

“Ah, no,” the man says. “Well, yes. But I’ve already ordered some. I called earlier, when I reserved my table.”

Mere stiffens, her sixth sense borne of years of customer service piquing. Beside her, Umida takes note as well.

“I asked that champagne be brought to the table with dessert, and I left a box...one that looks a lot like the one on your counter there. And I’m sure it’s just a coincidence but I couldn’t help but want to make sure it’s not my ring that just went out to that other table.”

Mere’s wide eyes spring to Umida’s.

“Oh my fuck,” Umida whispers.

Then they’re both racing for the door.

“Wrong table, wrong table, wrong table,” Mere mutters under her breath as she dodges a stroller and a dog walker trying to reach Tomas —

“Oh, Edmundo!” Brunette exclaims brightly.

Umida’s hand braces Mere like a soccer mom in a car.

It’s too late now.

There’s nothing they can do but watch this trainwreck happen.

Happily, Redhead vacated the seat nearest to them so they have an unobstructed view of Brunette’s eyes filling with tears, of Texas’ wide eyes, and of Pennsylvania’s face losing all colour.

From context, Texas is the Edmundo Brunette is so pleased with.

But Edmundo is shaking his head, his brow furrowed. “I...wha— ”

Pennsylvania comes back to himself first, though the smile he paints on his face is strained and frail. “Ah, con — congratulations.”

“Wha— Buck, no.”

Pennsylvania — Buck — stands up from the table like a colt learning to walk, his eyes darting across the table without landing anywhere. “I — ah — I should let you guys celebrate.”

“Buck, no, I—” Edmundo’s voice is firmer now, his hand darting out to reach for Buck, and Brunette starts to catch on that nobody’s getting down on one knee with a flowery speech.

“Edmundo?” she calls, her bright smile dimming.

Edmundo looks torn and trapped in equal measure, and Mere wonders for a heartbreaking moment if maybe he’s as confused about his relationships as the Tilted Cactus employees have been tonight.

With a sigh, and a reminder that she’s out of this place like Cinderella at midnight, Mere falls on the proverbial meat cleaver. Stepping around Umida’s still outstretched arm, Mere weaves herself in front of Tomas just in case there’s any physical fallout, and pitches her voice low so the neighbouring tables will have to strain to listen in.

“Excuse me, my name is Mere, I’m the assistant manager. I am so sorry to inform you there’s been a terrible mistake. We’ve delivered a ring to your table that was destined to another this evening. We apologize deeply for any confusion this has caused and we will of course be comping your meals.”

“It—Oh.” Brunette’s eyes land on the ring on her finger, and her remaining excitement implodes into embarrassment so quickly and resoundly that Mere’s surprised it doesn’t produce an audible sound. The fingers of her opposite hand grip the ring and pause for a moment before slipping it off. There’s no box to slip it into so Mere holds out her hand, the other tucked neatly behind her back.

“Thank you,” Mere says quietly. “Please forgive us for the mistake. We will be investigating what happened so it never happens again.”

“Of course,” Brunette says lightly, forcing some life back into her voice. “I’m sure you didn’t mean any harm by it.”

Her eyes lift then and take in the scene across from her. Edmundo and Buck still standing, Edmundo’s hand wrapped round Buck’s wrist to keep him from leaving, and her eyes shutter once more.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to freshen up,” she says politely, rising from her seat and escaping into the restaurant.

Edmundo watches her go but says nothing, frozen still, holding onto the man beside him.

With all eyes more or less off them now, Mere gathers Tomas and Umida and hauls ass back into the restaurant.

————-

The ring is cleaned and inspected by Gareth, its actual owner, who is amiable enough to not escalate the situation further. His fiancée-to-be is none the wiser on any of these happenings — luckily their table, 29, is indoors — so his proposal is still on for the next course. But, just in case it doesn’t go the way Gareth hopes and he turns on them, Mere preemptively comps their meal too and congratulates him before he’s reseated.

On her way back to the kitchen, she grabs Lenore and uses the last hour of her completely fake authority to formally bar her from ever answering the phone again, or taking notes from the phone, or writing anything anywhere ever again. Lenore, having heard about the drama at table 34 and having seen the crying woman rush to the bathroom just now, accepts with little resistance.

And Mere, heart heavy with the weight of what they’ve done to this poor woman, mentally shakes her fist at her own curiosity and need for schadenfreude. If she’d bailed on this place an hour ago, she wouldn’t be leaving with this heartache by proxy.

As if beckoned by her thoughts, Brunette emerges from the bathroom just as Mere is crossing in front of it. She looks better, her tears packed away, and her cheeks only slightly reddened. Mere is about to offer her something — a glass of water? wine? a whole bottle? — when Edmundo steps into view. Mere doesn’t break stride until she’s behind the protection of the pay terminal privacy partition where she can see them but not be seen.

“Hey,” he says softly, his frame pretty loose and relaxed for a man who looked so troubled moments ago.

“Hey,” she returns with a forced smile.

“I’m so sorry, I don’t know—”

Brunette cuts him off with a hand. “It’s not your fault. They made a mistake. It happens.”

Edmundo nods.

“But…” Brunette continues, fidgeting with the strap of her purse. “For a moment, it didn’t seem far-fetched that it...might be real, you know? I know we’ve been taking things slow, but we have been seeing each other for nearly a year now. And I thought… I don’t know what I thought, but it...it didn’t seem so far-fetched.”

Edmundo’s shoulders have grown tense, and it doesn’t escape Brunette’s notice. She smiles sadly.

“But then I looked up and you weren’t even looking at me. You were looking at Buck. You were so scared he would leave and that — that just doesn’t make sense, does it? I mean, even if the...the ring was a big misunderstanding, wouldn’t it have been better that he leave so we could talk about it privately? But you were scared, because he was upset… And if he was...I don’t know...upset that you hadn’t told him about this, you could have caught up later and discussed it, cleared it up.”

Edmundo says nothing, but he hangs his head and gnaws on his lower lip.

“But you were scared. Scared of him leaving in that moment. Scared...that he’d leave with the wrong idea? That he’d leave thinking you were — we were... ” Brunette sighs sharply. “I think I’ve been a fool.”

“You haven’t—” Edmundo tries to say.

“No, I have. It’s felt so many times like there’s been a third wheel in this relationship, and I genuinely didn’t realize until now that it was me. And maybe I’m naive but I’d like to think you didn’t realize it until today either. That you’re just as big a fool as I am. And maybe Buck is too.”

Edmundo opens his mouth twice to say something but nothing comes out. In the end, he settles on, “Ana, I’m sorry. I...didn’t realize. I don’t even know if I understand what I realize. But I...I know you’re one of the best people I’ve ever met and you didn’t deserve this.”

Brunette — Ana — smiles again sadly, and if a touch bitterly, she’s entitled to it.

“Thank you,” she says softly, before fidgeting with her purse strap again. “I’m going to go. You’ll...say goodbye to Buck for me?” Edmundo nods.

“Goodbye, Edmundo.”

“Take care, Ana,” he responds.

Ana takes a few steps before stopping and turning. “Good luck. I think…” she shakes her head before repeating, “good luck,” and leaving out the side doors.

Mere unglues herself from the privacy wall and slinks sadly back to the bar where she finds Tomas and Umida already halfway through a glass of red each. There’s a third, untouched glass waiting for her.

“We’re horrible people,” Mere decides. “Brunette and Texas just broke up.”

“We didn’t do this,” Umida protests half-heartedly. “Technically, Tomas did.”

“Ugh, you ass,” Tomas sputters. “The note said table 34, you all saw it. It’s Lenore’s fault.”

“It is Lenore’s fault,” Mere agrees before downing half her glass like a shot. Out the window, she can see Pennsyl — Buck — slumped in his chair, staring at the tablecloth. There’s a fresh bottle of wine on the table, two empty glasses at his and Edmundo’s places. Mere raises a glass at Tomas for the gesture.

“If they don’t end up drinking it, I’m taking it home,” Tomas says, “I already wrote it off.”

That’s fair.

Unfortunately for him, when Edmundo gets back to the table, he immediately pours them both a very full glass.

Buck straightens out in his chair, looking concerned and looking around for Ana, who doesn’t materialize. Edmundo says something that has Buck relaxing but looking guilty. Then Edmundo shuffles closer and puts a hand back on Buck’s wrist.

“Okay, back to work,” Mere orders. “We’ve intruded on this drama way too much already.”

When she finds her way back to the bar some twenty minutes later for a totally appropriate reason, table 34 is empty.

————————

A year later, Mere finds herself sitting on the Tilted Cactus bar counter on a Friday night, legs swinging and popping olives like they’re mints. She ended up not quitting her job the night she intended to. Between the excitement, the drama, and the on-duty alcohol, she was feeling pretty chill about sticking it out at the Tilted Cactus a while longer.

But she ended up quitting two days later when the owner found out about how she impersonated an assistant manager and gave her hell for it. She could have stayed, he wasn’t really going to reprimand her. But listening to him talk down at her while her stomach filled with dread at the idea of having to apologize and walk back into that hell hole…nah. Fuck the Tilted Cactus, fuck the owner, and fuck two weeks’ notice. They weren’t getting a minute out of her ever again.

She took the gamble of taking out more student loans and was wrapping up her EMT certification. She’d be in an ambulance soon enough, actually helping people. Not the dream that got her to America, but one that would suffice for now. Make up enough karma to get her feet back under her.

“The lesbians are back,” Umida announces excitedly in a whisper as she fits herself between Mere’s legs against the bar.

“Which lesbians?”

“THEE lesbians,” Umida returns, pointing out the window.

“Those are two guys, babe. Three if you count the kid.”

“They’re lesbians,” Umida insists, waving her hand to dismiss the kid from her labels. “They have strong lesbian energy.”

“You’re claiming them for your people?” Mere grins fondly. It’s the start of Pride again and Umida’s Ally pin has been traded in for a lesbian-flag coloured hijab secured with the updated BIPOC Pride flag pin. She’s very pretty in pink, right down to the lipstick Mere isn’t allowed to kiss off of her until her shift is up.

“I am, they’re mine. I claim them.”

“Wait,” Mere squints, trying to pin down the familiar feeling she’s getting, “are those…”

“The guys! Eddie and Buck. I told you they were semi-regulars now. And we were right, that’s totally their kid. I don’t know how, especially since we know they weren’t together before that night, but he’s their kid. My money’s on one of them being trans because he’s literally their spitting image combined.”

Mere sighs happily and hugs Umida to her. “Well, I’m glad some good came out of that night.”

“Umida?” a young voice asks from across the bar. In the year since the reopening, a slew of new hires have joined the ranks to replace all the veterans leaving and Mere barely recognizes anyone anymore. She saw Mikael (unsurprisingly single again) a couple of weeks ago but he’s clearly on his way out too. Tomas lasted until his probation was over before quitting. Umida, in no small part because she was the longest lasting employee, was rightfully promoted to the role of assistant manager. Mere still hopes she’ll leave this hell hole soon but in the meantime, at least she’s getting paid. And authority looks really good on her.

“What up, Jerome?”

Jerome pushes his dark blue fringe back and holds up a sheet of paper. “I have a note here to deliver a ring to a table with dessert but it doesn’t say who’s supposed to get it.”

“Oh my god, no, no way,” Mere laughs and tries to push Umida away. “Let me out of here.”

Umida’s arms close around her hips, preventing her escape.

“Calm down. I created a form so that night doesn’t happen again. Jerome, did you use the form?”

“Um, yeah.” He shakes the sheet of paper in his hands. “I mean whoever took the call did. They checked off the table number, and it’s a ‘fiancé’ not a ‘fiancée’, but it’s a table with two guys so…”

“Okay, but there’s a field for the name, did they fill it out?”

“How am I supposed to know who they are from a name though?”

“Oh my god, kid, you schmooze,” Umida says. “You roll up to their table, you lay on the customer service thick and introduce yourself and ask their names. People are idiots, they’ll tell you, just like that.”

Jerome cocks his head in contemplation. “Yeah okay, but no, there’s no name. It’s blank.”

“But you made a form,” Mere mock whispers.

Umida turns on her, her eyeshadow catching the bar lights as she narrows her eyes. “This is not the form’s fault, don’t you blame this on the form! The form has a field for a name! The form provides!”

“The form is flawless,” Mere agrees quickly, running her hand down Umida’s arm soothingly. “You can’t account for user error.”

Umida glares harder before looking up to the ceiling in supplication.

Mere, who has never in her life been able to resist picking at a scab, asks, “what table is it?”

Jerome checks the paper. “34.”

“The cursed table. The cursed lesbians!” Mere gasps, squirming out of the way when Umida tries to pinch her side.

“Well it’s not like the kid is a contender, so it’s 50/50,” Umida points out. “Much better odds than last time.”

“And to be fair, if the wrong guy gets the flute, he can just improvise and propose with the ring in hand,” Mere continues. “Overall, much less exciting drama than last time. 3/10 for me.”

“Thank god. Yeah, let’s do that.” Jerome walks away with his marching orders and Umida turns to Mere. “I have to actually go work. You gonna hang out here?” She’s off in a half hour and they have tickets to the back row of the latest Marvel nonsense.

“I got booze, olives, and an unobstructed view of my favourite drama. I’m all set.” In lieu of a proper kiss, Mere lifts Umida’s hand and kisses her wrist, delighting in watching her girlfriend’s eyes soften. She blows Mere a kiss and flits away to put out fires.

Mere is usually on her phone while she waits for Umida but tonight she watches table 34. The guys — Eddie and Buck, Umida reminded her — are across the table from each other, Eddie is relaxed in his chair but Buck is leaning forward, elbows on the table as he tells their son a story that has him cackling in his seat. They’re not holding hands, but anyone looking can see they’re together. They have ridiculous heart eyes for each other, and from her vantage point she can see those long legs intermingling again, one knee occasionally jostling into the other. Little tangible reminders that they’re there and together.

She saw hints of this that night, and to see it have taken hold and blossomed...suddenly she’s really invested in them having a great night. One of them planned this night out, wanted to surprise the other, and she doesn’t want that going to waste because of a blank field on a form.

Mere’s wearing a dark long-sleeve blouse, not too far off the dress code, so slips off the counter, snags the backup apron they always leave behind the bar and ties it around her waist. One of the newbies whose name she doesn’t know watches her from the host pedestal and Mere raises a fierce eyebrow at them until they go back to minding their own business.

She rinses out a jug and fills it with water and ice and slips back into her customer service posture to make the rounds of the tables in section 10.

“Well now, I recognize you handsome folk, don’t I?” she schmoozes when she gets to table 34, picking up Eddie’s glass first to fill.

Eddie doesn’t place her and she doesn’t blame him, he was under a lot of stress that night. It takes Buck a second but he gets it.

“Oh hey, yeah! Weren’t you — “ Buck cuts himself off awkwardly and casts an eye to Eddie and the kid. “You, ah, gave us our meals for free! Because of the, um, mix-up.”

That’s enough for Eddie to place her, and where Buck relaxes back into his chair as she fills his glass, Eddie goes stock still.

Bingo.

“What mix-up?” the kid asks.

“Ah, they put something in our drink by accident,” Buck lies without lying. “Real choking hazard! So they gave us our meals for free.”

“That’s dangerous,” the kid says.

“It was dangerous,” Mere agrees, filling his glass. “Choking hazard was right. Could have turned a really great night all wrong with a trip to the hospital.”

Eddie’s brow furrows slightly and Mere struggles to keep a neutral face.

“It’s never a good idea to hide things in food. I don’t know why people keep trying instead of just calling us for advice. We have tons of ways to help people with surprises.”

“I completely agree,” Buck says. “We’re actually firefighters and you wouldn’t believe how many accidental choking calls we get.”

Eddie swallows, his eyes looking mildly panicked.

“Firefighters!” Mere schmoozes harder, smiling at the kid as he gets excited again. “Well I certainly feel safer then.”

“Ah, you probably shouldn’t. I was actually one of those calls once,” Buck says halfway through a smile and grimace, pointing to his throat where there’s a faint scar. “Emergency tracheotomy on the floor of a restaurant. But that wasn’t a surprise, just, ah, too enthusiastic about the breadsticks.”

Eddie’s looking decidedly gray now, eyes laser focused on the scar.

“Okay, well I’ll just go ahead and clear these,” Mere says, jokingly reaching for the bread basket until Buck laughs back.

“I’m better now, promise! Small bites, chewed thoroughly!”

“Hmm, I don’t know,” she dithers dramatically, nodding to the kid. “If I leave those here, can I trust you to keep an eye on your dad?”

“Yeah!” the kid agrees with a toothy grin.

Buck’s cheeks redden quickly but he’s still smiling, his head ducked shyly in a way Mere doubts is due to her teasing. Eddie, meanwhile, is still looking poleaxed though fondness is fighting its way back in.

“Well, I was just subbing into this section so this will be goodbye for us but it was great to see you guys! Enjoy your evening!”

“Thanks, you too!” Buck says with an easy smile. Eddie manages a “thank you” and Mere has to restrain herself from patting his shoulder as she walks away.

She’s only just returned the apron to the bar when she sees Eddie walk in and head straight for the host before being led to the back.

“Ready to go?” Umida asks, back in her unsensible heels and cross-chest messenger bag.

Mere takes the hand she extends but tugs her closer instead of following her out, before saying the worst thing she’s ever said in her life, “Actually, do you mind if we stick around a little longer?”

“Something good about to happen?” she asks, peeking out the window.

Mere tugs her in closer and leans her chin on her shoulder. “I think so.”

Twenty minutes later, when Jerome passes by with a tray of assorted chocolate treats and two overturned coffee cups, Mere and Umida find themselves bracketed by half the front and back staff. Gossip still spreads like wildfire it seems.

Buck’s overturned coffee cup and plate is the last thing Jerome puts on the table, and as soon as it’s down, he excuses himself. He keeps a professional pace until he’s past the exterior doors and then he’s racing to take a front seat at the bar.

Eddie turns over his cup but doesn’t reach for the carafe, he wipes his hands on his jeans instead.

“Oh my god, he’s so nervous,” Jerome whispers.

“The kid is so in on it,” the host whose name Mere never caught says, and they’re right. Where Eddie’s tensed up, the kid is bouncing in his seat like he knows something’s coming.

“Come on, guy,” a bus boy mutters, checking his watch. His break is almost over.

Mere’s heart is beating hard in sympathy with Eddie’s as they all watch Buck ignore his coffee cup in favor of serving their kid from the tray. Then he signals to Eddie’s plate, who can’t not lift it for the offered chocolate tortes. Finally, there’s chocolate on everyone’s plates and Buck sits back to try a piece of brownie and Eddie can’t take it anymore.

He motions to the carafe and Buck perks up, finally reaching for his cup. But just as his fingers close around it, some idiot’s dog barks on the sideway, calling his attention away. His fingers flip the cup without ever looking at it, or the plate underneath it.

“Oh come on,” Umida moans.

The dog passes with its dumbass owner and Buck puts his cup back down, or tries to, but finds something in the way. He tries again, pushing the intrusion away with the bottom of the cup.

“Oh my god,” is whined in Mere’s left ear and when she turns her head she’s surprised to find not another Tilted Cactus employee but a customer dressed to the nines, pearls and all.

“Ma’am, did you —”

“Shh,” the woman returns, her eyes never moving from the window. Mere turns back too.

Finally, Buck has managed to push the offending items off the plate and settle his cup down and it’s a nail-biting few seconds where it actually looks like he’s going to reach for the carafe and go about his business.

But like a true wingman, the little kid points directly at it, prompting Buck to push the napkin aside and pick up — the ring.

Buck freezes, holding the ring between his thumb and index. His cheeks flush and a smile begins to break over his face before he looks startled and the smile falls abruptly away.

It’s about this time Eddie realizes that proposing by recreating the night they got together was never going to be the best idea when the impetus to their relationship was an engagement ring accidentally sent to the wrong person.

Eddie vaults out of his seat and into the empty one next to Buck, wrapping his hand around the one holding the ring, and bringing his other hand to his cheek to gently turn his head until Buck is looking at him. They can’t tell what he says, but they can watch Buck’s eyes fill with tears, watch as Eddie gestures to their son who’s smiling wide and reaching out for a hand, which Buck instantly provides. His attention comes back to Eddie then, who’s saying something that gets them both looking a little fragile and it’s hard to say if he actually popped the question yet but Buck is surging forward to kiss him hard and fast. Eddie gives as good as he’s getting for a moment before he slows them with small, gentle kisses. And when they finally break apart, Eddie plucks the ring from Buck’s fingers and slides it onto his ring finger as Buck watches, his eyes wide and half incredulous.

Outside, the nearby tables break out into applause, startling the trio and reminding the two men that they are indeed out in public. Eddie acknowledges the applause with an embarrassed hand and waits until they have a modicum of privacy again before taking Buck’s hand and kissing right near the where the ring now sits. He then reluctantly shuffles back into his seat.

Inside, Mere is hugging Umida to her with a strength buoyed by love. Around them, the staff are starting to disperse, some wiping their eyes, some with goofy grins on their faces.

“Young man,” the lady in the pearls says to Jerome, holding out her credit card, “I want you to charge that family’s meal to my card.”

“Yes, ma’am. That’s very generous of you.”

The woman sniffs delicately and leaves without another word. Hopefully Jerome knows where she was sitting…

“I’m glad she did that,” Mere says into Umida’s shoulder, “I was going to, otherwise, and I’m a broke-ass student.”

“I would have pitched in,” Umida says, her voice soft and pensive. “Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Mere agrees, sliding off the bar counter for the last time. “Oh, hold on.”

She gets closer to the window and turns the flash off of her camera before taking a pic.

“I think that’s bordering on creepy now,” Umida says without judgement.

“It’s not for me.” Mere sends the pic off with a note and three ring emojis.

They don’t make it out of the restaurant before her phone dings.

“What does Tomas have to say?” Umida asks with a smirk.

Mere pulls up the text and reads, “Gays and lesbians. Both, at the same time. Never doubting Umida’s gaydar again.”

Umida laughs victoriously, which shouldn’t be as sexy as it is, and Mere lets her drag her by the hand down the street, letting the nostalgia from tonight settle in her chest.

If there’s anything she misses from working the restaurant scene, it’s getting this glimpse into people’s lives.

Yeah, most of the work was gross, obnoxious, or mind-numbing. But every now and again, she got to be a part of strangers’ stories. Got to be there for the happiest days like graduations, or bridal showers. And even the sadder stories could be beautiful sometimes, like when she got to be extra kind to the elderly woman coming into the restaurant alone for the first time in ten years, or watch a family have their last supper together before their kid moves away for school. It’s just all so human and some kind of wonderful.

She hopes her career as a paramedic will have just a little bit of that kind of magic.

#911fic #buddie fics #buddie #my fics #okay this is fic 2 of 2 for pov outsider for me! #completely opposite tone of the last one this is just fun and dumb :P #hope y'all like it! #my posts

[kitkatpancakestack]

The looming presence of Season 5 really has me in a meta state of mind. Special thanks to @emofrxnk who ALWAYS engages in 9-1-1 and buddie crackheadery with me. Her genius is kept offline but is nonetheless unmatched.

I'm doing my re-watch as one does, and noticed a fun little parallel between the bomb scene in 2.01 and the shooting scene + its preceding events in 4.14. There are some main points I want to cover here:

1. The importance of the vehicle used in the scene

2. The name "Charlie"

3. The point of the scene

4. The repercussions of the scene

Ambulance vs. Battalion

Okay, so this bit of genius is all @emofrxnk. We were discussing the obvious poignancy of the battalion car in 4.14 catching fire, because it was so deliberately referenced and repeatedly shown again going up in flames. She mentioned how the battalion car (which Buck and Eddie both arrive to the scene in) symbolizes the state of their relationship prior to the series of events that succeed it. As in, the car catches fire, and this represents (which we know to be true after watching the end of the episode) a change in the status quo of their relationship. What they had before is literally burned to the ground, gone, and something else will take its place.

In 2.01, Buck and Eddie are riding in the ambulance together to the hospital. Eddie finds the live round and the two of them do their whole bonding thing, and when it's all said and done, the ambulance literally explodes. Following the line of thought mentioned above, the ambulance can be paralleled to the battalion car in that it represents another significant change to the status quo of their relationship, being that their petty rivalry literally exploded in their faces and something else will take its place (and boy did it!)

The Name Charlie

Listen, I know coincidences happen and I know it's hard to keep up with every detail in a show, but you're telling me, out of all the millions of names they could have chosen, for this particular kid, they decided to recycle the name Charlie? Excuse my skepticism but I just have a hard time accepting this as an accident.

The scene in 2.01 and the scene in 4.14 are practically identical, but the first thing that drew my attention to the parallel between them was the name Charlie. I'm not sure how long it would have taken me to see the parallel without the repeated name, if I even realized it at all. In 2.01, Buck and Eddie work together to save the older Charlie's life. in 4.14, Buck and Eddie work together to save the younger Charlie's life. You cannot convince me there isn't something there.

The Point of the Scene

Let's talk about what happened in the scenes, as well as the Point of the scenes, or the supposed reason for including them in the sequence of events during the episodes. Both scenes to me feel like they painstakingly ensured Buck and Eddie would be together. I say this because Hen and Chim are literal paramedics. Would it not have made sense to have one of the with Eddie in the ambulance in 2.01? As for 4.14, Chim was with Buck when they talked to Eddie before the shooting scene. Chim really should have gone with him. Like, wtf is Buck doing there, y'know? This is a medical priority, Chim is the most experienced, he should have gone with Eddie. But this was intentional.

Both scenes also feature life or death situations for Buck and Eddie. In 2.01 it's a bomb, and the threat of being blown up. But they go through this together. In 4.14, rip all of our souls, it's the shooting. It's the framing and the blood splatter that draws both of them into the scene, so even though only Eddie got shot, it feels like both of them are stuck in this life or death situation together.

Essentially, the contrivances of these scenes are deliberate. We see what made it through five rounds of cuts and editing. They knew what they needed to show us and it needed to be delivered in those specific ways.

The Repercussions of the Scene

Maybe a hot take but I think these two moments in 2.01 and 4.14 are THE MOST important buddie moments, as far as their relationship development goes, and we haven't even witnessed the fallout from 4.14 yet.

I am cognizant of all the small and crucial moments we get between these scenes, but the overall significance cannot be matched. 2.01 is literally the catalyst of their relationship. It's the moment their enemies to friends speedrun crosses the finish line. It kickstarts everything. 4.14 also feels like the catalyst to something new, we just haven't had any material to confirm or deny this, yet. But as far as magnitude goes, Eddie makes Buck Christopher's legal guardian. He calls him Evan. He proves just how much he Knows and Sees him (and while we're at it, he's been seeing right through Evan Buckley since 2.01 and you can quote me on that).

These are both absolutely pivotal moments for their relationship, and these are the two moments that represent a palpable and disruptive shift in their dynamic.

I don't know if there's anything here or if I'm actually losing my mind, but I'm chucking more word vomit into the void. This hiatus is either pushing me further toward or further away from the truth. I lowkey make these analyses posts as documentation that will either be my ultimate vindication when buddie is endgame or my ultimate shame when they aren't, but either way, it is incredibly cathartic.

All I can say is, hold onto your butts, guys. Season 5 is coming for our lives, I can feel it.

#buddie #parallels #meta #buddie meta #it's the life or death situations for me #it's the change in dynamic for me #it's the ridiculously tight and cohesive writing for me #there's no way this is a coincidental scene and the fact that they are two seasons apart is insanity #these writers are unhinged #i think i am going insane #someone please take my brain away from me it won't let me live #hiatus crackheadery #positivity and crackheaded speculations ONLY #meta by me

[wackybuddiemewbs]

A list of some random things I noted down while watching the mid-season finale - in a just as random order (AKA no order at all):

Buck feeling under pressure not to perform as the BF. Buck feeling like he has to make BF points. Don't we remember that from before??? Buck??? Also: Dude, remember what you got Abby just coz? You know how to do gifting, come the fuck on.

Buck being such a nerd about the generator, I love him.

Interesting mirroring between Buck and Christopher: Buck also thinks about what to get for Taylor that's actually protecting her (generator in case of emergency, later the bracelet). Both are expressions of not wanting to lose those people.

"Someone's gonna be single by New Year's." - Hen, please be our oracle. Please show the power of foresight. Pretty, pretty please.

Buck hogging all the gifts is the cutest thing on earth. I. Love. Him.

Wrapped up gifts, people unwrapping them, people unraveling. Something. Something. Symbols. Symbolizing symbols. Symbols!

They pack the gifts away, they stack them up. They keep on stacking, stacking, stacking. Things are piling up, boys. Tilting, even!

"Maybe I'm not doing it right." - Eddie, my boy, you're fine. Just accept help and get a therapist, my love. Also, gotta love how Buck's having ABSOLUTELY NONE of that. Instantly reassures Eddie. They so cute. Now kiss. Hard. On the mouth.

"That's not your fault." - Buck, my love, you say that so casually, but do you know what that means for Eddie??? And boy, if only that finally got through to him! And if only YOU took that to heart as well! IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES!

"It's a real pressure cooker." - Lots of talk about pressure by Buck. Once with the gift, then in reference to the gift, then Eddie talking about the pressure... callback to Under Pressure in the future? Yes. Please. Let. One (both). Of. Them. Strip. Whatta man. Whatta man. Whatta man...

Feeling TRIGGERED, anyone? Any more mentions of the word in this episode? Half of the season? Yeah? Oh-oh. Seems like there are a lot of triggers, triggering. Buck says it, said it before in other episodes. Then the future BF of the elevator girl... methinks the writers are telling us something about those triggers!

Guy to elevator girl: "Have been having a crush on you for months." Buddie hello??? Take notes! This could be you!

Buck always so happy to see other people falling in love. Biggest dumbest smile. I love him. Did I already write that? Sure did. Will that keep me from writing it again? Never!

Hen, I love you. "Missing the rest of your family." - it's a clear indication and reminder to Buck that they are part of his family. Blessings on your house, ma'am.

"My house! It's ruined!" - yeah, kid, I felt that, too.

Chris throwing down the gingerbread house like he tossed that salad when Eddie didn't tell him about dating Ana. Kid has a thing going on with tossing food when he's upset. Or maybe he's also upset with Eddie's cooking.

"We'll make another one (gingerbread house)." - foreshadowing much??? Buck, Eddie, and Chris, making a ginormous gingerbread house? Yes please! Making a family! Building a home! YES FUCKIN' PLEASE WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP!

So. Much. Pressure. Talk. I. Feel. Pressured.

"You could be dead next year." - things that, taken out of context, can mean vastly different things depending on the tone you use.

Eddie saying that since neither one got hurt, not telling Chris or Carla about the hostage situation was the appropriate response... Eddie, my dude. What the actual fuck??? Also, sure, it was a minor injury, but Buck *did* get kinda hurt. Seriously. You guys could earn a therapist a whole damn house. And. You. Should.

Homes breaking down. Homes collapsing. Gingerbread houses falling victim to gravity. Merry fuckin' Christmas, everyone!

Eddie gets triggered by the kid asking whether dad's dead. Which is interesting enough since that guy is not doing a dangerous job. Eddie, my love, life itself is dangerous AF. You can get buried by a house by just parking there, my dude. ALSO: That guy was OKAY because you and the team were there! Take a hint! Or ten!

Red and blue - jaws of life and red car. With Buddie in the frame. Praise be!

The house is not safe to go back to. THE HOUSE needs fixing. EDDIE. My friend. Take another hint. So many hints! Take them! Make a list! Buck has a clipboard! Chop-chop!

Wrapped in red. House about to collapse getting red-taped. Red ribbon on the gift by elevator girl. Red ribbons in Eddie's house. Buck gifting Taylor a red gift with red bow. Buck holding on to that red Santa hat like it's a lifeline. The red string that connects people. I am losing my shit. And I have connected shit!

LOL. Taylor standing between Buck and Eddie. I am mean and have zero impulse control:

Hen asking Buck where Eddie is. She been knew.

Eddie wearing his breakup-color palette. Petition he doesn't get to wear that once he's with Buck.

Seriously, this wee woo is doing things to me.

A lot of them.

#buddie #911 spoilers #911 season 5 spoilers #911 season 5 #eddie diaz #evan buckley #evan buck buckley