#but someone is gonna talk some sense into buck and tell him to not let tonmy run away from hapiness

[robinminustherichard]

Eddie, sans mustache, is the voice of reason

(How I imagine the final scene could play out farther)

"He called me Buck." Buck mumbles, not even bothering to wipe the tear that slides down his cheek.

"I'm sorry, what?" Eddie asks, turning towards Buck. "You're on my couch crying because someone called you Buck?"

Buck simply looked at him, eyes wide.

"Don't, don't look at me like that." Eddie shook his head, taking another drink of his beer. "I am not Tommy that does not work on me."

"Oh my god-" Buck's voice breaks and he shoves his plams against his eyes.

"Whoa, Buck. You're gonna have to give me a clue here man."

"Tommy called me Buck, tonight. When he bro-" the rest of what Buck says is too muffled by his hands for Eddie to hear him.

"Still didn't catch that, bud. You're upset because Tommy called you Buck? That's literally what you tell everyone to call you."

Buck took a deep breath, pulled his hands away, and looked at Eddie with red-rimmed eyes.

"Tommy called me Buck after he broke up with me."

Eddie pulls in a sharp breath and winces, sets his beer down on the table and reaches over to clasp Buck's shoulder.

"Oh, man. Buck. What? Why the hell would he break up with you?"

"I don't-," Buck starts, pulling another rough breath in, "I don't know. I asked him to move in with me-"

"Buck-"

"No!" Buck interjected. "That's not even the issue. He started saying some crazy stuff about how he's my first but not my last and that if he moves in with me I'll break his heart."

Eddie sits, taking it in and letting Buck process more.

"So he broke my heart, instead. He broke up with me, called me 'Buck' like he hasn't been re-wiring my brain towards 'Evan', and walked out of my life."

Eddie breathes out, not quite sure how to tread.

"And-and-- it's such bullshit that he would do this! He changed my entire life in thirty seconds and then six months later gets to rip my heart out and leave?" Buck's fingers rip at the label around his bottle. "I can't believe this, Eddie. This is so stupid, and I don't even know how I messed up."

Buck looks dangerously close to crying again, so Eddie pulls him into the best hug that can be had when you're on a couch and also not wearing pants.

"Buck, I'm sorry man," he starts, patting him on the back before pulling away. "But you didn't mess this up. Clearly, Tommy's not thinking. He can't be thinking because everyone with eyes can tell you're in love with him. I've never seen you this in love."

Buck wipes at his eyes some more before nodding. Eddie takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I don't know what the hell Tommy is thinking. It sounds...it sounds like he's scared, like he's closing himself off to protect himself."

"But I don't want to hurt him, Eddie," Buck groans, mouth wobbling, "I love him so much."

"I know you do, Buck," Eddie sighs, running a hand across his face. "And I know where Tommy is right now. I've been where he is, and it's not a good place to be. Thinking that causing yourself pain now is better than getting hurt by someone else later; telling yourself that you won't feel gutted if it's you that pulls away before its taken away."

Buck looks at him, face devastated.

"But that's so....that's so stupid!" Buck breathes heavily, almost surprised by his own outburst.

Eddie looks at him, nods at him in agreement. "You're right."

"I mean," Buck starts up again, jumping to his feet and beginning to pace, "why the hell does he think I'm just going to have some fun with him and then leave him? I'm in love with him. Why the hell does he get to decide what I'll do in the future?"

Buck is breath heavily and runs a hand through his hair.

"A-a-and why does he get to just end things because he thinks I'm going to want something else? Someone else?"

Eddie is watching Buck pace and takes another sip of his beer.

"He doesn't even want to give me a chance! I told him that I want to see him even more and he decides to break up with me because he what, thinks I'm lying? Th-thinks I don't know what I want?"

Eddie shrugs, makes a non-commital noise.

"Well, no!" Buck stops, facing Eddie. He puts his hands on his hips and shakes his head. "This is unfair and I can't believe he would even think that I would treat him as just some sort of, of; some sort of training boyfriend!"

Buck practically yells his last statement, breathing heavy and meeting Eddie's eyes.

"So," Eddie says, "what are you going to do about it?"

Buck looks at him, silent for a moment.

"I-" Buck starts, confident before he suddenly deflates. "I don't know, Eddie."

Eddie groans before standing up and setting both hands on Buck's shoulders.

"Buck." He stares straight into Buck's face, "you are going to go to Tommy's, and you are going to tell him all of this, and you are going to get your man back."

Buck nods, confidence coming back.

"Yes." He agrees with Eddie.

"You are going to bang on his door until he let's you in, and then youre going to tell him that he's full of it and that you love him, and that he doesn't get to decide how you feel, and you are going to tell him that for all this trouble he better have a court-side Lakers ticket for me to."

"Yeah!" Buck exclaims, nodding. "Wait-"

Buck starts to protest but Eddie is turning him and steering him towards the door.

"You are not going to let him mess this up, because he and I are supposed to go to another fight next month, and I can't even kick his ass for you because he could totally crush me."

Buck is sputtering, piecing together sentences like what, Eddie, that is not the point here--

They get to the door and Eddie throws it open, give Buck another gentle push across the threshold.

Buck turns and looks at him, his face unable to convey the confusion fear indignation upset that he's feeling.

"Buck." Eddie stops, holding onto the door with one hand. "I know you, and I know you're gonna fight for this. If he turns you down again, call me and I'll be there to pick you up--"

"Will you put pants on to do that or--"

"Don't be ungrateful," Eddie interjects, "you will go to Tommy's house, and you will remind him that you are a fully grown adult who is capable of having your own feelings and thoughts, and you will tell him that you love him so much that you are literally obsessed with him--"

"Well, I don't know about tha--"

"You will tell him that you stare longingly at a picture of him at 3 AM when you can't sleep in the bunks."

"How do you--"

"And you will," Eddie starts to adjust to close the door, "get. your. man. back."

Buck looks like he's going to protest one more time, but Eddie raises his eyebrows and starts to close the door.

"And for God sakes, tell him how weird you are about the Buck/Evan thing."

With that, Eddie closes the door on Buck, locking it securely. As he goes to turn away, he hears Buck call out one last time, followed by his stomping tread down the sidewalk.

"I'm only listening to you because you shaved that god awful mustache, so clearly you've gotten some sense back!"

Eddie rolls his eyes, walks to the couch and plops down on it. He pulls his phone out, brings up Tommy's message thread and types out a new one to send.

If you really thought that was going to work, you don't know Evan.

[cjlouwho]

no but tommy and buck get into a fight and it's a big one. one that feels like the end and hurts like the end and they haven't spoken in a couple days. tommy is at his place sulking when there's a knock on his door. he opens it and is surprised to see howie there, wanting to check on him. he comes in and they talk for a bit. howie tells him to give buck a little time. they'll figure everything out. he's never been like this with anyone before. it hurts more when you really care about someone.

after howie leaves, tommy only has about ten minutes to himself before there's another knock on the door. bobby this time. he says he's there because he made too much meatloaf and mashed potatoes and was just gonna drop off some extras. but he stays and warms up the food and eats with tommy, making sure he finishes his plate because bobby knows he probably hasn't eaten in a while.

he gets a text from hen a few hours later reminding him that they're both stubborn and one of them needs to stop being an idiot first so they can fix things. tommy texts back that he really screwed up, and she replies that they both said things they didn't mean, and the thing about a mutual screw up is that you can mutually apologize and mutually learn from it and mutually agree to do better.

it's late, like middle of the night late, when he gets a simple text from maddie. it's just a heart, nothing more, and tommy's pretty sure that buck is probably there with her right now spilling his guts to her about their fight. it takes him twenty minutes to gather enough courage to send a heart back.

he doesn't sleep, just like he hasn't for the last two nights, and there's a knock on his door before the sun comes up. it's eddie this time, and he's glaring at tommy with a six pack in his hands. he tells tommy he will not let buck sleep on his couch another night because the snoring is ridiculous and the whining is even worse. he was on the phone with maddie until 3am and he has no idea how to whisper apparently. still, even in his annoyance, he comes in and asks tommy how he's doing. they sit on the couch and talk and drink because even though it's early they've both lost all sense of time.

in all this, tommy admits he is kind of shocked, because everyone from the 118 has checked on him in some way. eddie shrugs, answers simply, "you're family too, man." it's the first time tommy realizes he doesn't have these people just because of evan, he has them because they like him and want him around.

obviously, buck arrives at tommy's place a couple hours later. he's panicked and shaky when tommy answers the door, which immediately worries tommy because he hates to see evan like that. but the panic turns to shock when he sees tommy is actually there and he grabs at his heart as he exclaims, "chimney told me you were dead!"

they end up apologizing, making up and promising to be better. tommy shoots chimney a text. seriously, howie, you told him i was dead?

howie responds: 100% success rate with that one. you can thank me later.

[theshypinkflower]

🎃 Kinktober ~ Intoxication/Facless

🔨 Strade (Day 10)

Non con, intoxication, dubcon?, idk some type of con, public sex

You really should be more careful of how you drink! Poor little you, couldn't even wall with how much you drank. Then again, was it really your fault? There was such a kind stranger at the bar and he just kept buying you round after round. What reason did you have not to trust him? He was so friendly and he called you such nice things.

Although you really couldn't tell when the nice things stopped and the degradation kicked in. Surely “leibling” and “dumpkoff” mean the same thing. How could they not when he always spoke with such a smile! He'd talk to you all the while you threw back shots. “My, you've had enough to drink an Irishman under the table,” he'd chuckle before sliding you a beer. 

“Oh shit,” you muttered and rubbed your eyes, “I really shouldn't.” Your words were slurred and a mess thanks to your inebriated state. You tried to resist having anymore, you were hardly having a hard time holding your head up! But…one more drink wouldn't hurt right? 

You loved the way it burned your throat the entire way down. Alcohol was always the miracle solution for when you wanted to forget. And forget you did! Why, you couldn't even remember what his face looked like. “Okay..now…’hould go home,” you hiccuped as you struggled to stand up.

Your legs wobbled and buckled, thank goodness he was there to catch you. “You ‘ought to be careful! Could've hit the ground and cracked your head!” He said with a laugh as he put your arm around his neck. Your enabler happily led you out the door, and stupid little you didn't even realize he was leading you away from your car.

Took you a moment to realize you were instead in an alleyway. The smell from the garbage did not help your senses, and you immediately lurched over to throw up what little food in your stomach. You could hear him laugh as you vomited and stumbled like an utter idiot, clinging to him for dear life.

“Awww, feel better?” He cooed to which you slowly nodded. “Don't worry, buddy, I can make you feel a whole lot better,” he said with a sultry grin. You didn't even fight him as he shoved your head against the brick wall, snaking his other hand around your waist to undo your pants. “Not even gonna fight? Perhaps I gave you one too many!” He laughed in your ear as he fondled you. 

You whined as he nudged your pants and underwear down. “Heyyyyyy…not in public!” You complained as his chest pressed against your back. His boner poked your ass, eliciting a drunken giggle from you. “What if someone sees us?” you added and squirmed underneath his weight.

“Oh I doubt a drunk little thing like yourself would care if they're seen,” the stranger whispered in your ear. He pulled his cock out, grinding it against the soft plush of your ass. “Infact, I think you'd enjoy it!” he exclaimed before shoving his cock deep inside you, no lube or anything.

You let out a pained yelp as your hole stretched uncomfortably around his length. It wasn't long before he began moving his hips, biting into your neck to stifle a moan. Tears welled up in your eyes due to the painful feeling. The pain easily subsided as he began getting you off with his hand. 

You couldn't help but moan and grind against his hand. “Aren't you a vocal little birdie?” The voice teased as you fucked yourself back onto his cock. “So desperate! You just wanted to get fucked in an alleyway, huh?” He asked as his hips roughly slammed into you. The slutty moans you let out was enough of a response for him. 

You continued bucking your hips against his hand, fucking yourself stupid on his hand and dick. He groaned as you clenched around him, feeling so nice ‘n tight around his length. “You make such a good toy for me,” he groaned. You were much to inebriated and fucked silly to comprehend his words. It was a sight for him to see your brain practically leak out. 

His cock throbbed as he abused the sweet spot in your ass. He grinded his hips against yours, cumming deep inside you with a groan. You whined and whimpered as you came all over his hand, leaving a sticky mess. He panted and pulled out, watching his cum spill out and onto your clothes below. You sighed in content, your eyes heavy and your shoulders slouched. 

“Heh, if you're here next week, I'll buy you another round, buddy!”

[callsign-joyride]

So Long, London | Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw

Summary: You think that Bradley is cheating on you after seeing a compromising picture. Content warnings: Angst with a happy ending, college AU Lyric: "You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues?"

Buy me a coffee

It was like almost any other college relationship. You and Bradley and met in a biology lab, and you were originally study buddies. But then, he'd text you to ask if you wanted to meet up at the dining hall for lunch or dinner. 

“You're sure you don't need help studying for Thursday's exam?” You asked one day during lunch. 

“Yeah, I've got everything down. How about we go and see a movie after the exam? Student tickets are 5 bucks each.”

“Sure!”

That was what you had considered your first date with Bradley. He walked you back to your dorm once you got back, and even chatted with your roommate for a few minutes. He spent the holidays with you and your family when he told you about his parents. 

Spring break was rounding the corner when you walked out of the mailroom and your roommate had called you. 

“What's up?” You asked, thinking she had locked herself out again.

“Are you on your way back to the dorm?”

“Uh, yeah, why?”

“There's something I gotta tell you, but I need to tell you in person. It's about Bradley.”

“Oh my God. Okay, I'll be there in like, ten minutes.”

As you walked back to the dorms, you angrily texted Bradley asking him what he had done and that your roommate was going to talk to you about whatever it was. He wasn't responding, and he hadn't responded by the time you got to the dorm. As you opened the door, your roommate was sitting on her bed and she looked upset. 

“Don't shoot the messenger,” was the first thing that she said and you sighed before sitting on your bed that was across the room from hers. 

“Just tell me what happened. I already know I’m not gonna like it.”

“Here,” she said as she showed you a picture on her phone. Some girl had her arms wrapped around Bradley. 

The picture was from pretty far away and it was zoomed in, but you knew that that was Bradley. A wave of disappointment rushed over you and you put your head in your hands, trying to process what you were going to do next. The only option that made sense in your mind was to confront him about it, so you texted him and told him to meet you at the dining hall. He was confused when he finally responded to your initial text asking what he had done, and he said that he was in the library. You only had a few minutes to get to the dining hall from your dorm if you wanted to meet him there instead of having him wait for you. He walked over to you once he got to the dining hall, and you led him to a table before sitting down and letting out a sigh.

“My roommate showed me a picture of you and some other girl earlier. You looked awfully couple-like. I just wanna know what that was about before I decide if I’m gonna end this.”

“Oh my God. She came onto me, I swear. We were walking out of Physics together and she just kinda jumped on me like that. I had no idea she’d do that, or that someone would take a picture of it. I’m so sorry, babe. I’d never cheat on you, I hope you know that.”

You let out a breath that you didn’t even know that you were holding and leaned across the table to give Bradley a hug. For once, you were glad that you were just overthinking, but you were also glad that your roommate was looking out for you. Bradley explained that she was just someone who sat at his table for lectures, but that he would talk to her about it the next time he saw her.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it if you did that. I think it would also help me feel better if you kept your distance from her and made it clear that I’m around, y’know?”

“Yeah, I understand that. I love you.” “I love you, too.”

Bradley walked you back to your dorm, and your roommate was somewhat surprised that he was with you and that you weren’t upset. The two of you explained everything to her and she was quick to understand, and she was also glad that you were okay and Bradley stayed to hang out for a while. It was pretty late when he left, and he tucked you into bed as a joke. He continued to text you on the way back to his dorm, which was halfway across campus.

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[ladyeyrewrites]

Bun in the Oven

Rated M

Chapter 3/4

2990 Words

Chapter three of trans!Tommy mpreg 8x07 rewrite

Read from Chapter One

Read on Ao3 or below the cut

Tommy was definitely pregnant.

Eight weeks as far as the doctor could tell from the ultrasound.

But Buck couldn’t let himself feel excited. That wouldn’t be fair to either of them, not when Tommy seemed so scared, so likely to decided to terminate the pregnancy. So many times in his life he’d set himself up for disappointment by failing to manage his expectations and he wasn’t about to do that again. Because that would bring about an even worse heartbreak than Tommy suddenly deciding that Buck was incapable of being happy with Tommy long term and ending things without so much as a by your leave. Letting himself picture a life with Tommy and their kid only for it to be snatched away before it could come to fruition would break Buck and he knew it.

So, he tried not to get excited. Tried not to anticipate anything at all.

After the appointment, they sat in the Jeep together. Tommy stared at the ultrasound printout, at the blurry little blob that had just started to develop limbs and discernible eyes and ears.

“What do you want to do?” Buck asked.

“I want to think,” said Tommy, on the edge of snappishness.

“I know that,” said Buck. He wasn’t expecting Tommy to come to a decision right away. It made sense that he’d want to weigh his options. “I meant, do you want to go home or back to my place?”

Tommy sighed. “I need to get the truck, and then I want to go home. I think I need space to make this decision.”

“Okay,” said Buck. “And just so you know, I’ll support whatever choice you make, just please don’t disappear on me. I don’t think I could take that.”

Tommy nodded. “I’ll call you,” he said. “Once I’ve figured things out.”

“You’d better,” said Buck. “And we still need to have a proper conversation.”

“I know.” Tommy scrubbed a hand over his face. “One thing at a time though, okay?”

“Okay,” said Buck.

#

“So, how’d things go with Tommy?” Maddie asked over the phone as Buck was getting ready for bed.

“Not sure yet,” said Buck. “We were able to talk about some things, but not everything.”

“Think you’ll get back together?” Maddie asked.

Buck grimaced and flopped down on his bed. His bed that Tommy had slept in the night before, leaving that glorious scent of his all over Buck’s sheets. The healthy thing would be to wash the sheets, eliminating Tommy’s scent, but Buck wasn’t feeling particularly healthy. “I don’t know,” he said. “There’s still stuff we gotta talk through. I just – what if he runs away again?” Despite Tommy having promised not to run, Buck couldn’t help but fear he would, because that’s what people did: they left.

Maddie sighed. “Are you sure it’s worth getting your hopes up, Buck?”

It was Buck’s turn to sigh. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But I think I’ll regret it if I don’t try.” And that was true. No matter what choice Tommy made, Buck would always wonder about the might-have-beens if he didn’t tell Tommy he wanted to try again. Maybe with couples’ therapy. Scratch that; they were definitely going to counselling if they got back together. But that would have to wait until Tommy made a choice. “But the ball’s in Tommy’s court right now.”

“Okay,” said Maddie. “I hope it works out. I just don’t want you to get hurt more than you already are. I think that you have to trust the universe is gonna bring you a special person. Whether that’s Tommy or someone else.”

“Yeah, we’ll see,” he said. Although Buck was beginning to wonder if maybe part of his problem was that he trusted the universe too much. Bobby had said a while ago that he kept letting relationships happen to him rather than taking an active role in them, and he’d tried to fix that with Tommy. Maybe he’d tried to force it into something it wasn’t, but sitting back and waiting for things to fall into place just seemed like the wrong move.

They chatted a bit more about Jee and Maddie’s day at work before hanging up.

Buck lay awake most of that night, drowning in Tommy’s scent, dreaming of a future together despite himself.

#

Buck had been worried that he wouldn’t be able to play it cool on shift the next day. That was part of the reason why he spent the morning in the kitchen, prepping lunch – more baking.

“All right, guys, lunch is up.” He pulled the baked ziti out of the oven.

“Smells amazing,” said Hen. “What are we having?”

“Fresh-baked garlic bread, baked ziti, and bread pudding for dessert,” Buck said as the team gathered around to get a whiff of the food. He was too pre-occupied thinking about Tommy and what he was thinking about to relish in the praise the team heaped on him.

“Since when did you become a master baker?” Eddie asked.

“Uh, when Tommy dumped me,” said Buck. “Now, whenever I feel tempted to reach out to him, I just—”

“Bake?” Eddie finished his sentence.

And it was still true, only now it was because Buck wanted to give Tommy the space to make the decision, he needed to make without feeling like Buck was pressuring him in any direction.

“I know, it, uh, it sounds dumb,” said Buck taking in his teammate’s faces.

“It’s not dumb,” said Bobby. “You found a coping skill to deal with cravings. We do the same thing in recovery.”

Bobby patted Buck on the back while Buck tried to come up with words to describe what he was feeling without giving the game away. “Well, I don’t feel anywhere near recovered,” he said. “What I feel is a tractor beam pulling me towards my phone to see if he’s texted me.” Buck gestured towards his phone with one hand as he carried the tray of garlic bread over to the table.

Hen and Eddie followed after him with bowls and plates to set the table.

“I know that feeling,” said Eddie. “Stay strong, man.” Which actually didn’t make any sense to Buck unless Eddie was talking about Shannon because he’d been pretty brutal in booting Ana out of his life and Buck hadn’t seen any pining for Marisol or Kim coming from Eddie’s camp, not with the Christopher of it all hanging over his head.

Buck sighed and grabbed up his phone from the table and happened to catch the text bubbles in his chat with Tommy. Something caught his eye: three little bubbles at the bottom of the chat. “Oh, my God,” he didn’t mean to say out loud. What if Tommy was texting to tell him he’d come to a decision? Buck stared at his phone, waiting for a text to come through.

“What?” Hen asked.

“He’s bubbling me,” said Buck, not sure if that was a phrase he just made up or not. “Tommy’s bubbling me right now.”

“So, what did he say?” Hen asked as she and Eddie gathered around Buck.

Buck kept staring at the screen. It seemed too soon for Tommy to have decided, and Buck didn’t know what that meant. Did it take longer to decide to keep a pregnancy or to get rid of it? He had no idea.

The chat bubbles kept bubbling away.

And then they vanished. “They went away,” said Buck. “I don’t get it.” Had Tommy not made a choice after all? Or had he decided it was a conversation he didn’t want to have over text? But Buck couldn’t let on that he knew why Tommy was texting him, so he added. “Why would he type, type, type and then not send anything?” He looked between Hen and Eddie as if they could possibly know.

“Maybe he just changed his mind,” said Hen in that annoyingly calm and soothing tone she used on him when he was being over-the-top.

“You think I should call him, right?” Buck asked. Because what if something had happened while Tommy was typing, and he’d dropped his phone and wasn’t able to finish whatever he’d been typing.

“Definitely not,” said Hen returning to the table.

“What if he’s in trouble and he needs my help?” Buck asked. That didn’t seem too out of the ordinary a thing for him to ask right? That wouldn’t immediately point to Buck being worried that maybe Tommy was having a miscarriage or something right now? It was perfectly normal to be worried about his ex whom he’d thought was his endgame only a couple weeks ago.

“That’s probably not it,” said Eddie. But what did he know?

“Yeah, I’m gonna call,” said Buck. He closed out of the text chain and went to press the call button on Tommy’s contact card.

And then Eddie snatched his phone straight out of his hands. “Sorry, can’t let you do that, buddy.” Eddie put his hands behind his back and passed Buck’s phone to Hen

“Okay. Come on, give it back,” said Buck, trying to keep an even temper. “Come on, give it back. I’m serious.”

“It’s for your own good,” said Hen, tossing his phone to Eddie again.

And a surge of anger roared through Buck. while his friends played keep away because what if Tommy needed him? What if something had happened? What if they broke his phone and Tommy wasn’t able to get a hold of Buck?

“Guys, give it back, I mean it,” he snapped and something in his tone must have alerted his friends to the fact that he was very much not amused because Eddie gave his phone back looking chastened.

“Sorry, man, just trying to keep you from making a mistake.”

“Oh, so you think me actually trying to get some closure on a relationship I really wanted to work is a mistake?” Buck asked.

Eddie flinched. “No,” he said. “If that’s what you need and something Tommy can give you, that’s great.”

“We just don’t want you to get hurt again, Buck,” said Hen in her mom voice which Buck didn’t usually take issue with but right now it grated on his nerves.

“You guys do know I’m thirty-three, right?” he asked. “That I’ve actually been in serious relationships before, and I know how to have an adult conversation with an ex?”

His friends wouldn’t look him in the eye.

“If I want to call Tommy, I’ll call him. But right now, I’m giving him some space because that’s what I told him I’d do when I saw him yesterday.”

“Wait, you saw Tommy yesterday?” Chim, who’d been remarkably absent from the conversation, asked. “I thought it was the day before. That’s why we had to take a rain check on dinner.”

Buck sighed. “Yeah, I saw him both days,” he said. This conversation was getting away from him.

“You didn’t, you know,” Eddie wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Did you?”

“No, we did not sleep together,” said Buck. “He came over. We talked. It got late and so we continued the conversation the next day. We’re not back together.”

“Do you want to be?” Bobby asked.

Buck hesitated before nodding. “Yeah, but if Tommy says he doesn’t then I gotta respect that, right? You can’t exactly make a relationship work if only one side even wants to be in a relationship.”

Bobby nodded.

And at that moment, Chief Simpson appeared wanting a word with Bobby, but Buck was too preoccupied thinking about Tommy to worry about that. He did reconsider calling Tommy though. If he’d come to a decision about the pregnancy, he probably didn’t want to have that conversation while Buck was at the firehouse, and they could be overheard.

Waiting until he was off shift to text though was agony.

#

Buck found himself scooping out cookie dough after his shift ended and he’d texted to see if Tommy was okay. His phone rang and for a moment he hoped it was Tommy, but no, it was Maddie. Not that he wasn’t glad to talk to his sister, but she’d probably ask him about Tommy, and he didn’t have the energy to talk around the truth or lie to her right now.

“You weren’t baking, were you?” Maddie asked.

“Uh, no,” said Buck. “Not technically yet. Did Chim tell you?”

“The gift basket full of baked goods you sent home with him may have tipped me off,” said Maddie “And whatever you’re doing that’s not technically baking, you need to stop, cuz you have plans.”

Buck sighed. “Plans? Uh, what are you talking about?” he kept scooping cookie dough.

“Remember when I told you that the universe was gonna send a special person your way?” Someone knocked on the door as Maddie spoke.

Buck wiped off his hands and picked up the phone. He really did not have the bandwidth to deal with his sister setting him up with someone right now, not with everything going on. Not that Maddie knew about any of that, though. “A blind date? Maddie, I’m not ready for that yet. One second.” He answered the door, thinking he’d find Tommy there only for it to turn out to be Maddie, Chim, and Jee.

“Here she is,” said Maddie with a grin. Gesturing to Jee who smiled up at him in multi-coloured cardigan and a tea shirt with flowers printed on it.

Chimney was smiling too, but more in a way that said he was just trying to humour Maddie and wasn’t entirely sure if this was a good idea or not.

“Well, when you said special person, you didn’t say the most special person in the whole entire world,” Buck said, squatting to scoop Jee up into his arms. Because he could most definitely free up the bandwidth to spend time with his niece, no matter what was going on. “Come here, Jee. Oh, I got you.”

“We’ll be back by ten,” said Maddie.

“Jee, take care of your Uncle Buck,” said Chim.

And then they fled back down the hallway before Buck could protest.

“Okay,” said Buck, fully immersing himself in uncle mode. “I have been making cookie dough. So do you want chocolate chip, peanut butter, or snickerdoodle?” He plopped Jee on a mostly clean portion of the counter.

“I want all of them,” Jee declared.

“What?” Buck feigned surprise. “That’s the perfect answer.” And they got to work, all the while Buck mused about what it would be like for Jee to have a little cousin or what it would be like to bake cookies with his own kid someday – maybe even someday soon. He let himself indulge the fantasy while he showed Jee how to scoop the dough and place it on the cookie sheet.

They’d just finished scooping out the last of the cookie dough onto oven trays when there was a knock on the door. “Just a sec,” Buck called as he opened the oven and slid the cookie trays inside. He hurriedly set a timer on his phone before lifting Jee off the counter onto his hip and crossing to the door. It was too early for it to be Maddie and Chimney. Maybe it was Eddie come to check up on him after their shift.

And there was Tommy standing in his doorway for the second time that week. “Hey,” said Buck. “I thought you were going to call.”

Tommy shrugged. “I didn’t want to have this conversation over the phone or text.”

Buck didn’t think that sounded hopeful. “Okay, but it’s going to have to wait a bit.” He hefted Jee who squirmed to be put down. Buck obliged and she wrapped her arms around Tommy’s legs. “Tom Tom!”

“I didn’t know you were on Jee duty,” said Tommy, smiling broadly and ruffling Jee’s hair.

“Neither did I until Maddie and Chim dropped her off,” said Buck. It was crazy to him how despite everything going on – the break-up, the pregnancy, the uncertainty – being in the same room with Tommy calmed Buck down, grounded him. God, he wanted so badly to hold onto that feeling.

“I can come back later if you want,” said Tommy.

“No, it’s fine,” said Buck. “They’re just going to dinner. Should only be a couple hours.”

“You’re sure?” Tommy asked.

Buck lifted an eyebrow.

Tommy held up his hands in defeat. “Okay, yeah, I won’t question your feelings anymore.”

“Good,” said Buck. “Now, who wants cookie dough?” The last bit was directed more towards Jee than Tommy.

“Me!” Jee raised her hand and ran back towards the kitchen island.

“Probably shouldn’t what with the raw eggs and all,” said Tommy. He made a vague gesture towards his stomach that gave Buck a burst of hope. Surely, Tommy wouldn’t be thinking about the foetus’s health if he was planning to terminate the pregnancy?

But Buck shouldn’t get ahead of himself. Shouldn’t jump to conclusions. “No eggs,” he said. He’d gotten in the habit of setting aside some of his mixture before adding in eggs so that it’d be safe to eat – another break-up habit he’d thought only existed in Tommy’s favourite romcoms.

“I guess I’ll give some a try,” said Tommy, smiling at Jee.

Buck went to the freezer and grabbed the cookie dough while Tommy silently started cleaning up from Buck and Jee’s baking session. And it felt so lovely and domestic, and it made Buck yearn for that future he’d laid out to Tommy the night of the break-up: moving in together, getting married, having kids.

And he’d never felt closer to that dream or further from it. And even though he loved every moment he got to spend with Jee, for once he couldn’t wait for Maddie and Chim to come pick his niece up so that he and Tommy could talk. Not scream at each other or have a single-sided conversation – actually talk and listen.

@silversky9 @unhingedangstaddict @ironspiderdad12 @beanarie @sporadicmakerwerewolf @azaharinflames @aisatsana441 @bugboybuck

[lkfarrout]

Fifty (family fic)

No ships, just Stan being a father figure

Summary: Wendy finds herself in a tough situation and has to ask Stan for money

Warnings: light angst, mature themes (16+)

"Come in!"

With a shaky hand, Wendy slowly opened the door to Stan's office. Her boss was sat at his desk, fez off, a pen and calculator in hand. His frustration at the figures in front of him permeated the room.

"Wendy?" He barely glanced up at her before returning to his work, "Its your day off, kid. What do ya need?"

"Umm..." Wendy considered saying 'nevermind' and just walking out. But she didn't really have a choice. "...fifty dollars."

Stan started to laugh until he looked up and saw the tears welling in Wendy's eyes.

He rose to his feet and she continued, talking very quickly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Pines. You can take it out of my next paycheck, but I need it today. I didn't know who else to ask."

He came around and leaned on the edge of his desk, arms crossed. "What's it for?"

She just looked at the floor and rang her hat in her hands.

He moved closer and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder, "Look, kid. Whatever you did, I'm sure I did worse at your age. D'ya owe someone money?" She shook her head.

"Then what's it for?"

"You can't tell my dad."

"Okay, I won't."

Wendy continued to avoid his gaze.

"What's it for, kid?"

Wendy sighed, "...plan B."

Stan took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck. "I see."

An awkward silence filled the room.

Stan continued with a light chuckle, "It's fifty bucks these days? Sweet moses, I'm gettin' old."

Wendy didn't laugh.

"Look, it'll be alright. Head out to the car, I'll give the twins an excuse and meet you out there, okay?"

Wendy muttered a thank you and quickly left the room.

---

A rock song played inaudibly on the radio and Wendy stared out the passenger window at the trees going by.

Stan gripped the wheel, trying to think of anything to say.

He stuttered as he began, "Kid, I-- look, I aint gonna pry you for details. But if I need to go knock some sense into some knucklehead kid, I will."

"It's fine."

"It was some knucklehead kid, right? Not, y'know... an adult?" Stan cringed at his own question, but damnit, if he was gonna let some creep take advantage of a young girl like Wendy.

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, just Robbie."

"So why the hell isn't he paying for this?" He'd meant it as a joke, but quickly realized how mean it sounded.

"Look, I aint mad about paying for it, I just. He needs to learn some responsibility."

"We were responsible. It just, broke. And neither of us had the money. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm... glad you told me."

Stan pulled the car into a parking spot.

"Stay here."

"It's okay, I can get it."

Stan insisted, "No, someone will recognize ya. I don't want you in any trouble."

He cracked the windows and shut the door with a click. Several minutes later, he returned and handed her a bag. "Hope that's the right stuff."

Wendy dug through it, surprised to find a bottle of water, a comic book, and a bar of chocolate in addition to the small cardboard box she expected.

She looked at Stan, who shrugged. "Figured you might need a little pick-me-up."

"Thanks, Mr. Pines. I'll work an extra day, or--"

He cut her off and waved his hand in the air, "Ah forget that, consider it free. It was... less expensive than I thought anyway." He looked away suspiciously before glancing back at her.

She punched him lightly in the arm, "You stole it?"

"No!" Stan protested, "I paid..."

She raised her eyebrows at him and he finished, "...for the water."

Stan laughed and Wendy smiled for the first time that morning. But her smile quickly dissipated with his next question.

"So, should I take you home?"

The look on her face was the only answer he needed. "Alright, you can hang at the shack today. But you'll have to put on a happy face for Dip and Mabel."

Wendy sighed, relieved, "Yeah, I will."

"I told the kids I was picking up lunch. How's pizza sound?"

---

They entered through the giftshop. Stan held the door open for Wendy with one hand, a pizza box in the other.

"Hey, uh, make sure you read that box real close and if you start to feel sick at all, let me know, okay?"

"I will, thanks." Wendy stayed behind like they'd discussed, and he continued toward the main part of the house before pausing.

"Oh, and use the phone in here to call Robbie. He should know that you got things worked out."

Wendy nodded and gave him a small smile.

"Guess who got pizza!"

The twins exclaimed happily and started to dig in.

Through a mouthful, Stan casually spoke. "Oh hey, save some for Wendy, I saw her walkin' over just a minute ago."

[jackwhiteprophetic]

For your 911 s8 bingo card

1: Clipboard Buck makes a return and has ready a list of violations and the most unusual rules that Gerrard breaks and hands him the list at the end of each shift with a smile on his face "I thought you might want to look these up and see how they affect your leadership."

2: Eddie and Maddie finally have scenes together where she talks about what she felt when she left Jee and Chimney how afraid she was that she would accidentally hurt Jee. And she opens up to him about the struggle she went through when she didn't leave with Buck when he begged him to, her fear that to protect Buck from Doug's anger she broke Buck's trust in her.

3: Buck talks to Christopher, telling him he knows the hurt and anger he is feeling when someone you love deeply hurts you unintentionally for Buck it was the big Buckley secret, and Christopher it was Kim. Buck won't make Christopher talk to his dad, but he wants him to look at the fact that by leaving with his grandparents, he hurt Eddie just as much as Christopher hurt him, the difference is Eddie didn't plan on hurting Christopher but Christopher did.

4: My idea that Gerrard dies of a heart attack and the team is framed for his death.

5: Buck actually explores his bisexuality without it focusing on his relationship with Tommy. Including him talking to Hen, Karen, and Josh. Just let it be about Buck.

6: Buck and Bobby stumbling onto a mystery that Athena and Eddie need team up and rescue their idiots soulmates.

Oooo yes to all of this!!!! I really would love to see a very explicitly Buck exploring his bisexuality scene in like a gay club or something!!! Seeing him feel at home in queer spaces would be so nice.

And yessss I would love the whole team to be under investigation again (the diamond heist and the treasure hunt episodes are some of the funniest).

I hope they give the characters time this season because I felt like so much was missing, especially in Eddie's storyline- like WE HAD STILLS of an Eddie and Chris conversation in 709 that was cut, and I'm so sure that Buck and Chris had a longer conversation that would have made much more sense.

Anyway this is unrelated kind of, but my sibling is watching 9-1-1 for the first time and is on 704 now and was SO CONFUSED about it, and they aren't like completely unbiased BC I talk about the show a lot, but I am very interested to see their perspective on the rest of the season and will update everyone!!!

Thank you for the ask, have a beautiful day!!!! I'm gonna make some yummy spaghetti and then go visit my granny's grave it's gonna be so nice!!

[luckycharms1701]

got a response to my last post and fuck if i didn't pull my computer out at one in the morning so i could do this particular topic justice

my "time to talk about family dynamics in tmnt" button was pushed real hard, and i don't get enough opportunities to talk about this

So let's talk about Leo's position in the family in the Bayverse movies. That's right folks, we're pulling out capital letters for the leader in blue, because this is a topic I am super serious about. Full college paper levels of serious. Gonna need to know how you want your sources cited.

This is a fascinating take tbh, and I would love to hear more about how you came to this conclusion. Allow me to show you why my position is different.

First:

I think this image says a lot. Leo's a daddy's boy long before anything like parentification could possibly come into play. Also it's really cute, look at him loving his dad!!

Second, let's talk parentification. Boiled down to its basics, parentification is when a child, usually the eldest, acts like a secondary or replacement parent. This is the part that really gets me, because I just don't see any evidence of it in the movies at all.

We do get to see some scenes from when they are kids, and no where is it suggested that Leo is anything other than another one of the boys.

Sure, Mikey hides behind him when play-fighting with Raph after the buck-buck scene, but that's just younger sibling behavior. No where is it implied that this happens because anyone expects it of Leo. That, I think, might be the closest to "parentification" that occurs in the movies.

The thing is, I don't think Leo has been the leader very long at the beginning of the 2014 movie. Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if it's a move Splinter made just before or even as the movie starts. Leo's and Raph's argument really solidifies that for me:

Raph: And who put you in charge?

Leo: You know who did.

This smacks, on Leo's part, of someone borrowing another's authority to shore up their own. That tells me that Leo at least does not feel that he has this authority on his own merit, that he's new to leadership. Raph senses this like a shark in bloody water, and he pushes because there's vulnerability there. (more on this later *rubs hands together in glee*)

I think that there is evidence in the 2016 movie that Leo is relatively new to a position of authority as well. His struggle to maintain the delicate balance of his brother's personalities and the fact that he allows his own personality to get in the way of being a good leader are prime examples.

These are pitfalls that a parentified person would already have experienced and would be able to avoid, and so they wouldn't have happened if Leo was parentified.

Third, let's talk about Leo and Raph.

So, my position here is that Leo and Raph DO have a normal sibling relationship, at least as normal as it can get when you are turtle mutants living in the sewers with only each other for company.

Anecdotal, I know, but I have a bit of experience with a similar dynamic to the one you assigned to them. I am the oldest of three, and my sister (middle) and I did NOT get along as kids. It got to the point where I thought as teens that once I left the house we would never talk to each other ever again.

Perceived favoritism was definitely an issue in my and my sister's relationship. Is it an issue with Leo and Raph? I honestly don't think we get enough time with Splinter in the movies to determine that concretely. It's definitely possible, but I believe something different is, either concurrently with or instead of favoritism, at play here.

I know it's easy to forget because they look Like That, but the turtles are teenagers. They are immature and don't always know how to express themselves. And Raph in particular struggles because he feels so strongly. It can be hard to control it when your emotions are strong like that, don't ask me how I know.

However, he gives himself away at the end of the 2014 movie. "Every time... I pushed you beyond your limits, it was because I believe in you! I believe in each one of you!"

Remember when I said that Raph sensed Leo's vulnerability and pushed on it? We've come back baby! I am firmly in the camp of 'both Raph and Leo are good leaders in their own way', and I think this is part of what makes Raph a good leader.

Sometimes Raph is actually annoyed at Leo for whatever reason, being told what to do the most common I think. But!! Remember, Raph also believes in his brothers, Leo included. So he puts Leo on the spot in a mostly controlled environment to help him learn how to be a leader. There's a lot more I could say here, but that's a Raph post, and this is about Leo.

So is it favoritism, Raph's need for independence, or Raph pushing Leo that causes tension in their relationship? I think it's a bit of all of that and more.

There is a fourth section to this post, about Splinter, but it is now almost four in the morning, I have to get up in like two hours, and I already fell asleep once while writing this. But know that in this iteration at least, Splinter is a decent single father of four boys, he did not parentify Leo, and any favoritism is unintentional.

Anyway, in my house we spend a lot of time talking about how much Leo loves his dad.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Hi Cal!!! Lol I’m bad at thinking of nicknames so PCA works for me :p I’m glad the broken up requests works well for you - I’ll keep doing it!

As always I love everything you write!!!

⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️(awww bobby getting them the venue! He loves his son! And buck and eddie being so themselves at the idea of a museum wedding was adorable!)

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨(BUCKLEY PARENTS INCOMING!!! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!! I’m so pumped I’ve been waiting for this and I’m so curious about how it’s gonna go in this world)

🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟🧟(buckley sibling reunions warm my heart! And we love some buddie beginnings! So excited that the whole team is together now - can’t wait to see what happens next!)

HI PCA BESTIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT WEEKEND! THANK YOU AS ALWAYS!

63 for ⚡️ (Thank you!!!! Very excited for several little special moments this chapter):

---

“Let me help with your tie,” Eddie says, crossing the room to him. 

“Thanks,” Chris says, standing a bit straighter to give Eddie a better vantage. 

They made sure that Chris got a suit that matches theirs, but isn’t exactly the same. A lighter shade of blue than the navy Eddie and Buck chose for themselves. At the time, navy had made a lot of sense. It was a color that suited them both. It was comfortable for them. It would look nice in the photos taken at the restaurant. Now, with the wedding being moved to a literal firefighting museum, Eddie worries it might look a little too on the nose. But, hey, at this point, there’s nothing to be done. 

“You still feeling good about today?” Eddie asks as he works on Christopher’s tie. 

“If I say no, are you going to cancel the wedding?” 

Eddie freezes.

“Jeez, Dad, I’m kidding.”

“Not funny,” Eddie huffs. 

“It kind of was,” Chris says. “You should have seen your face.”

“I’m going to take that as yes, you are still feeling good about today,” Eddie grumbles.

“Of course I am,” Chris replies. “I’m really happy about it, Dad.”

Eddie takes a deep, relieved breath. Not that he was expecting any differently, really. But he wants to keep checking in. He knows it’s emotional, for a kid, watching their parent marry someone else. Even if Shannon has been gone for years, and he knows Eddie is gay, and he loves Buck. It’s still emotional. And Chris is still his number one priority. 

“Just making sure,” Eddie tells him, finishing with his tie. “I know there’s a lot of change and we’re moving… But you are still the most important thing in the world to me. And to Buck.”

“I know, Dad,” Chris replies. He steps forward and hugs Eddie. 

Eddie’s throat tightens. He wraps his arms around his son, squeezing him tight. 

“You’re the best kid in the world, you know that?” Eddie asks him.

“Yeah, you tell me,” Chris replies a little smugly. 

Eddie chuckles. “Only because it’s true.”

Later, on the drive to the museum, Eddie’s mother drives in the truck with him and Chris. It’s quiet, as they sit in traffic. In the backseat, Chris has his headphones in and is playing a game on his phone. Eddie has music playing softly. He’s a little nervous, truth be told. Not for any particular big reason, but just with the overall importance of everything. And, honestly, the whole vows thing. He’s not sure how he let Buck talk him into that one. He doesn’t love public speaking, least of all when he’ll already be emotional. 

“Eddie,” his mother says as they pull up to a red light. Her voice is quiet enough so as not to reach Christopher over his music. 

“Yeah?”

“You’re happy today?” She asks quietly. “This is what makes you happy?”

Eddie feels a wave of frustration. “What are you talking about? Of course I’m happy, Mom. I’m getting married.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to… It’s just that, you didn’t do it because you were happy last time.” She explains. “So I just wanted to ask.”

---

75 for 🚨 (YAY! Yeah it's not gonna go GREAT):

---

Well, yes. He’s not recovering from bullet wounds or grieving or on trial for manslaughter anymore. 

“Thank you,” he replies tightly. He motions back to Eddie. “This is Eddie. My boyfriend.”

They look at Eddie, then look back at Buck, then exchange a glance. Like they can’t quite believe it. It can’t be that Eddie’s a man. Maddie mentioned to them that he’d be bringing a boyfriend to dinner tonight. So it’s just that Eddie is Eddie and Buck is Buck. And they’re wondering… Well, how? Buck feels queasy. 

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Buckley,” Eddie says, stepping forward to shake their hands. His voice is carefully neutral. “Good to meet you.”

“Eddie,” Phillip shakes his hand. “Is that short for Edward?” 

Eddie blinks. “Uh, no. Edmundo.”

“Edmundo,” Margaret echoes. “How unique.”

Neither of them ask him any further questions. Right. Because they’re genuinely not interested. Eddie realizes they’re not going to ask him any more about himself and takes a step back, returning to Buck’s side with a protective hand on his lower back. Buck wants to apologize for their rudeness. But then he remembers it’s not on him. All they’re here to do is show Maddie they can handle it. Buck can handle it. 

Chim steps forward to introduce Albert and Buck tries to let his mind space out. He focuses on the feeling of Eddie’s hand on his back. He’s got this. He can do it. He won’t make a scene. He won’t fall apart. He won’t be the asshole ruining Maddie’s family dinner. 

🔹🔹🔹

Eddie knew he wouldn’t like Buck’s parents. What he didn’t expect was to find them so… Socially challenged? Over the course of their meal, they really prevent any conversation they’re a part of from flowing normally. It’s like their determination to not pay proper attention to Buck stymies everyone else’s efforts to make the evening normal. When Albert, Maddie, or Chim try bringing Buck into a conversation, they simply pull out of it or change the topic. They have a bit more grace with Eddie, but it’s still painfully obvious they don’t care to hear from him. 

It doesn’t really make sense to Eddie. He watches it all like watching a poorly written play, where none of the character motivations are clear. These are his parents. And they don’t even want to know how he’s doing. Somehow, Buck’s own lack of self-regard is becoming a hell of a lot more clear to Eddie. Its origins sitting across from him at the dinner table, trying to avoid eye-contact. 

It all sort of comes to a head as they’re finishing eating. 

“I’m glad you guys had a nice drive,” Maddie says.

“We saw a lot of the country,” Phillip replies. 

“The first few days there was nothing but rain, then we got here, blue skies and sunshine,” Margaret adds. 

“That’s California for you,” Buck mumbles. Not rudely. Just… Sort of flat. Like he’s only half here. 

Margaret nods away this comment. 

“I-I can’t believe you drove all the way across the country,” Albert says. “In an RV! That sounds exciting.”

“Statistically speaking, it seemed the safest way to travel right now,” Phillip says. 

“Yeah, we didn’t want to take any chances, given Maddie’s condition,” Margaret adds. “And it being a high-risk pregnancy.”

Maddie frowns at this comment. Eddie holds back a wince. 

“Well, no,” Chimney says. “It’s not really high-risk-”

“Oh, she’s over thirty-five,” Margaret doubles down. “That puts her at a higher risk. So we all need to be extra careful.”

---

63 for 🧟 (Thank you!!! Excited to share my plans!)

---

It has been without a doubt, one of the strangest weeks of Chim’s life since the end of the world. Which is really saying something. And it’s only Thursday. There’s still a few more days to shake things up even further. Maybe a celebrity will show up next, like Bill Murray in Zombieland. That would be pretty cool. 

It’s somewhat alarming to have the population of their little settlement double in a matter of hours. More alarming when one of your original members suddenly announces he’s leaving. Chim feels like his brain and sense of normalcy are going through the spin cycle. 

“I’ll be back!” Buck insists, when everyone looks at him like he’s grown a second head. And why would they? For months he’s been talking about his sister, and she’s finally here, and he’s leaving her. “I’m just going to help Eddie find his wife.”

Which is a dangerous task. Although, Chim suspects he understands why Buck is sympathetic to the guy’s quest. Considering the crap he pulled in the name of his own. Yeah, Chim wasn’t thrilled when he heard about the radio. He wasn’t thrilled, but he couldn’t exactly be mad, either. 

Chim can’t be mad, because Chim doesn’t know what it’s like. See, the apocalypse - or whatever the hell this is - has been a little different for him than most survivors. Or, what he imagines it’s like for most survivors. The people who Chim would be most concerned about, were they separated, are Hen and Karen. His closest friends. He’s lost everyone else he might leave his safety for. The rest? Well, he’s not certain they’re thinking about him. If they're alive.

The thing is, a little over a decade ago, he ran. After Kevin died, Chim got the hell out of Los Angeles. He saw the job posting for a firefighter-paramedic here in Sunport and he left. Between losing his brother in all but blood, seeing how crushed his pseudo-parents were without their real son, and the less than welcoming situation at his fire station, Chim sort of cracked. He left and he didn’t go back. Maybe he’d have gone back more, if he knew he was on a quickly diminishing timer. 

In the time since then, Chim became close with Hen through work. He became friends with his then-neighbor, Karen. He introduced them, and then he became their friend. A strange little extension of their family, when he didn’t really have his own. Uncle Chim to Denny. A go-to babysitter. And, really, he is so, so grateful for the Wilsons. He is. He loves them dearly. He’s glad he’s not separated from them amidst all this and wondering how they are and if they’re alive. He’s not sure exactly why he feels jealous of the people who do  have someone to look for. It’s stupid. But he sort of is. 

Anyway, Buck is leaving and it creates a whole mess. 

Bobby is frantic behind closed doors, but completely calm in front of Buck. It’s enough to make Chimney think he’s watching two different movies play out on separate screens. 

“Is he angry?” Bobby asks Chim and Hen, after Buck has told them. “Is this about the radio? Getting himself killed is a stupid way to punish me.” 

“Bobby, I don’t think it’s that,” Hen says. “I think he’s trying to be kind.”

“He’s being reckless!” Bobby protests.

“The guy saved his sister,” Chim reminds him. “He feels a debt.” Maybe Bobby would be able to stop Buck from going if he expressed any of his concerns to him. But he doesn’t.

[spookmemepls]

☠ ― 𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑅𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑡? 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠. (𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑡 𝟷𝟿𝟾𝟾 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑒, "𝑊ℎ𝑜 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 𝑅𝑜𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑅𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑖𝑡?".)

"Don't worry! Whatever you say!"

"Hey! Be careful with that gun!"

"This ain't no cartoon, y'know."

"I'll be in my trailer, taking a NAP!"

"Scotch on the rocks. And I mean ice."

"I can take it, don't worry about me!"

"Wait 'til he gets on his feet, THEN hit him with a boulder."

"How much do you know about show business, ___?"

"Look, I don't have time for this."

"What the hell happened in here...?!"

"The job's gonna cost you a hundred bucks."

"This is NO way to make a living..."

"Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

"___! Is that you?!"

"Nice booby trap."

"I've worked with a lot of wise-quackers, but you are despicable."

"Kinda jumpy, aren't you, ___?"

"Get this straight, meatball. I don't work for toons."

"I think... I'm gonna faint..."

"That's it! That's the connection!"

"Well I don't work for peanuts."

"Another stupid news reel... aww, I HATE the news."

"You've been hanging around rabbits too long."

"I don't know who's toonier. You or ___."

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

"OW! My biscuits are burnin'! Fire in the hatch!"

"Please, ___, can't you tell how much I need you?"

"I hope you're proud of yourself! And those pictures you took!"

"No toon can resist the old "shave and a haircut" bit."

"Hey, ___, don't you have a car?"

"Thanks for the cigarettes."

"Don't let me catch your peepin' face here again, got it?!"

"Nice monkey suit."

"Wiseass."

"Get outta here, get me some money, too."

"The whole thing stinks like yesterday's diapers."

"Put the poor guy/girl/etc. on two weeks notice. Cutbacks, they said."

"Here's to the pencil-pushers. May they all get lead poisoning."

"Tomorrow's Friday, ___. You know what happens here on Friday?"

"You got that camera of yours? Mine's in the shop."

"Yeah, that was a long time ago. We should do that again sometime."

"So what's his/her/their/etc. problem?"

"I know this all seems pretty painful now... but you'll find someone new."

"Got the password...?"

"Don't tell me you've lost your sense of humor already..."

"So I took a couple of dirty pictures. Sue me."

"I caught you with your PANTS down!"

"I'm surprised you're not more cooperative, ___."

"No, not all the time! Only when it was funny!"

"No wonder you hate me...!"

"C'mon, don't cry, I don't hate you."

"This means war."

"C'mon, ___, where's your sense of humor?"

"The stain is already gone; It's disappearing ink! No hard feelings, I hope."

"If it's ACME, it's a gasser!"

"One of these days you're gonna DIE laughing."

"Work's been kinda slow since cartoons went to color..."

"Not tonight, ___... I've got a headache..."

"But ___, you promised...!"

"What could have POSSIBLY happened to you to turn you into such a sourpuss?"

"Take comfort, ___, you're not the first man/woman/etc. whose S/O played patty cake on 'em."

"I won't believe it, I CAN'T believe it, I SHAN'T believe it..."

"Is there nothing that can permeate your impervious puss?"

"We're SUPPOSED to be hiding, what's WRONG with you?!"

"What's wrong with YOU? You're the only person in this theater that isn't laughing!"

"___'s the love of my life! The apple of my eye! The cream in my coffee...!"

"Drink this, it'll make you feel better."

"Just like a toon to drop a safe on a guy's/girl's/etc.'s head."

"I see working for a toon has rubbed off on you."

"My whole purpose in life is to make people laugh!"

"I've been risking my neck for you!"

"I'm looking for a murderer."

"You're my only hope...!"

"You keep talking like that and I'm gonna have to wash your mouth out."

"Ain't I a stinker?"

"A better lover than a driver, huh?"

"Seriously, what do you see in that guy/girl/etc.?"

"Give me another excuse to pump you full of lead!"

"We toons may ACT idiotic, but we're not stupid!"

"We demand justice, but the real meaning of the word probably hits you like a ton of bricks!"

"___, darling, I want you to know that I love you."

[loverrofmineee]

The Parting Glass- Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal x OC

Summary | AO3| Previous Chapter

Chapter 6- The Parting Glass

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The month after the men’s return from Algeria was difficult for the tower girls. Sorcha had returned from her weekend in London to an inconsolable Aileen, who broke down in sobs as soon as they laid eyes on each other. Curtis Biddick was gone. Though Sorcha had only a few interactions with the man, she felt a pit in her chest at the news. Lilibet, along with the others filled Sorcha in on what happened during the mission, reassuring her that Buck and Bucky were still alive and well. As the weeks passed Aileen took turns seeking comfort in each of her friends, often spending long nights discussing her time with Curt as well as all the promises they made each other. Sorcha spent many nights alongside the younger girl, listening to all she had to say, never judging her for how she dealt with grief. Aileen seemed to improve over time, though the innocent girl they knew months prior was gone.

“Are you still writing Doug, Devs?” Anika asked as the girls stood on the grass outside the tower, anxiously awaiting Dye’s arrival. It seemed that the entire base had managed to crowd around the tower and hardstands, praying that Dye would make it back on his 25th mission.

“Yep,” Sorcha replied, popping the p as she stared at the sky, “he said he’s doing well and everything. He’s been writing Cormack as well, giving me updates that the kid refuses to tell me.”

“I still cannot believe nothing happened between you two.” Shiv shook her head in a mixture of confusion and slight disappointment.

Once Sorcha had departed from London, she and Doug exchanged information, writing to each other every so often. Their relationship was purely platonic, much to the dismay of the girls. His letters brought a sense of comfort to her as he wasn’t someone directly on the base, and provided a new perspective to Sorcha in a way others couldn’t. It was nice to be known as someone else, not being viewed as an overprotective sister or a woman amongst the crowd at the base.

“Devs!” Bucky's voice called from his Jeep, Buck sat beside him like always

“What do you want, Egan?”

“The boys have been wondering if we’re gonna reprise our act tonight.” Bucky’s classic smirk started to creep on his face as he toyed with the toothpick in his mouth.

Sorcha raised an eyebrow at the man, glancing at Buck to see his reaction, “What ‘boys’ have you been talking to? ‘Cause I’m sure Buck isn’t one of them.”

Her comment elicited a low chuckle from the man, “You’d be right with that, Devs. You’d probably scare all the new recruits.”

“That’s what I live for, Buck!” Bucky retorted, sending his friends an offended glance, “C’mon Devs, you know you want to.”

“I’ll get back to you when I’m a few drinks in.”

Sorcha’s response seemed to satisfy Egan, giving her companions a short nod and wave before speeding off again. The loud buzzing of a B-17 sounded from afar, accompanied by a barrage of flares. A chorus of cheers rang across the field as Dye’s fort approached the tower, everyone overjoyed that one of their men was finally going home. Sorcha embraced Lilibet in a fierce hug as tears fell from their eyes. Though they barely knew the man, Dye’s return signaled hope and a wave of emotion over them. It was incredibly morale-boosting that Dye had made it to 25, proving to the men that it could be done. Dye’s return meant things were finally looking up at Thorpe Abbotts and maybe some good could come out of the war.

“I’m assuming we’re all going to the party tonight?” Shiv asked as she let go of Anika and Aileen.

“Who are we to say no to a good time?” Aileen piped up, causing the girls to beam at their friend.

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If anyone were to pass by the women’s hut, they would have thought the party for Dye was being held there. Shrieks of laughter and giggles mixed with the record playing in the back corner bounced off the metal walls, creating a symphony of girlhood. The girls had assumed their usual stations for the night applying the military precision they developed to the stages of going out. Per custom, Sorcha was on hair, tightly wrapping strands around curlers, always eliciting complaints from her friends.

“God, Devs! Could you be any harsher?”

“I don’t see you complaining when one of the boys compliments you.”

Shiv let out a small groan as Sorcha released the curler, a perfect spiral flowing down her back. “It’s not the only reason they compliment me.”

“Keep this up and I’m sending you out with the rest left in.”

Aileen erupted into a fit of giggles at the older girl’s words, causing Lilibet to smudge the lipstick she was applying. “Jesus,” Lil groaned as Aileen continued to laugh, “Could we shelve the teasing for later? I’d rather not go out with one of you having half a head of curlers and the other with lipstick all over her chin.”

“Sorry, Lil. We’re just having some fun! Aren’t we, ladies?”

“Why of course, darling,” Shiv put on her horrible posh accent as she spoke, annoying Lilibet further, “As proper young ladies, we wouldn’t dare look a mess in front of the boys.”

Shiv’s dreadful impression set Aileen into another fit of laughter. While Lilibet attempted to remain stoic, she only needed one glance at Sorcha’s beaming face to join in. The women's laughter meshed together to form a harmonious sound, their joy infectious to one another.

Once the laughter had subsided and the girls resumed their tasks Shiv dared to change the conversation, “Speaking of boys…” eyes darting between Aileen and Sorcha as she broached the topic, “Are you two lovely ladies up to a dance tonight?”

Normally the women’s attention would fall on Sorcha at the question, but this time it shifted to Aileen. The younger girl sat silent for a moment before speaking barely above a whisper, “I- I think I could be up to it.”

“No one would push you, darling.” Lilibet put a hand on Aileen's shoulder as a form of support.

“No, I know…” Aileen trailed off as she searched for the eyes of others, gauging how they felt. “I know I’ll have to move on at some point. It just feels like I’m betraying him somehow.”

Sorcha was quick to rush to the younger girl’s side, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as tears started to fall from Aileen’s eyes. “Sweetheart, it’s a natural feeling to have. There’s no point in not feeling it, but on the other side is good. Curt wouldn’t want you to be so hard on yourself.”

“She’s right,” Shiv kneeled at Aileen’s feet, grasping her hands as she spoke, “If anything, Curt would want to be hard on you.”

“Shiv!” Lilibet chided as a small smile crept upon her face.

“What?! I had to hear from the guy twenty-four-seven about how perfect and stunning Aileen is. Honestly, you know I’m not wrong.”

This reasoning elicited a sigh from Lil, giving up on trying to convince Shiv to be more appropriate. “So what do you say, Aileen?” Sorcha extended a hand to the girl, “How does a dance sound?”

After a short moment, Aileen took her friend's hand and stood up. A smile was plastered on her face as she rose to meet Sorcha, “Doesn’t sound too bad. Though my first dance won’t be with you.”

“What, why?”

“You always try to lead!” Aileen giggled in Sorcha’s face, “I love you, Devs, but you need to loosen up.”

“Nice to know Aileen is back.” Shiv chuckled as she took in her friend’s expressions. “Now, can we get going? Anika shouldn’t be the only one having fun.” Each woman gave an enthusiastic nod to Shiv’s plan, putting the finishing touches on before heading out of the Nissen hut.

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The sounds of Glenn Miller's In The Mood could be heard as the women approached the officer’s club. Men and women were constantly flowing in and out, some wanting privacy, and others returning to the party. A wide smile crept upon Sorcha’s lips as she entered, arm-in-arm with Aileen, Shiv and Lilibet right on their heels. The group immediately went to the bar, starting what would be a long night of drinking.

Men and women were packed around the bar, making it nearly impossible for Sorcha to order, but she managed to push her way through. “I’ll take two martinis and a whiskey.”

The bartender gave a quick nod of acknowledgment to her words, before promptly serving the drinks. Sorcha gave him a quick thanks as she struggled to get through the crowds without spilling the beverages. “It’s like a madhouse over there!”

“Well, we thank you for going to war for us.” Lilibet smiled as she accepted her martini, handing the other to Aileen.

“Anything for you, my dear.” Sorcha mimicked Lili’s posh accent, causing Aileen to giggle.

“You’re not drinking tonight?” Lilibet pointed at Shiv as she sipped her drink.

A sly smile made its way onto Shiv’s face, “I’m planning on scoring drinks off of the new guys. It’s a pretty easy task, just bat your eyes, and make them feel like they’re the only man on earth.”

Aileen was the first to protest Shiv’s plan, “Well that’s just- that’s just mean, Shiv.”

“You could join me if you want,” Shiv stated cooly “With that face and accent of yours, I’m sure you could find a couple of men who’d be begging on their knees to buy you a martini.”

A rapid flush came to Aileen’s cheeks at the compliment and light innuendo, “M’not sure if I'm that type of girl.”

“Oh, of course, you are sweetheart,” Lil stated, her tone making the reassurance seem more like a simple fact. “Doesn’t matter how you go about it, any one of these men would be lucky to even speak with you.”

“C’mon, let's size up the lads for tonight.” Shiv’s statement grabbed each girl’s attention, their eyes scanning the room for any potential candidates for Aileen. After no less than five seconds Shiv pointed directly at an officer who had just come into the room, “That one there, with the atrocious dance moves.”

Sorcha’s eyes caught onto his figure, Shiv’s words about his moves ringing true. She watched as he spun around, hands in the air, the teasing cries from who she assumed were his friends falling on deaf ears. An airy laugh escaped from her lips as she watched him, sipping her whiskey to cover it up.

“I don’t think he’s my type,” Aileen stated bluntly, “I wouldn’t be able to dance with him, it’d look like a complete mess on the floor.”

“Don’t be too hard on the poor guy, it's not his fault he’s not a good dancer.” Lilibet held back giggles as she spoke, also finding hilarity in the situation.

“Looks like his luck is about to get worse,” noted Shiv as the girls noticed Buck and Bucky approaching the men. Sorcha let out a small groan as she watched the brief conversation, feeling a smidge of empathy toward the men who had to endure Egan’s teasing. She continued sipping her drink while sizing up the room when Bucky’s sharp voice rang through the hall.

“Devs!” Sorcha’s eyes snapped up to meet her caller, shades of light embarrassment covering her face. Buck, alongside the new recruits, were all staring at her, each giving a quick one-over of the woman who apparently had the Major’s interest. She made quick eye contact with the pilot her friends were just ruthlessly teasing, offering him a small smile before her attention shifted to an approaching Bucky.

Buck's low laugh came as he watched his friend converse, still beside the men from his prior conversation. One of the crew gained the courage to speak up, “Is that the major’s girl?”

“Something like that.” Buck gave little time for the men to respond before bidding them farewell and joining the growing group around Bucky and Sorcha.

“Buck!” Sorcha cried as the man approached the group, “Please tell me you weren’t harassing those poor recruits?”

“I told her-”

“Oh be quiet,” Sorcha shushed Bucky with a wave of her hand, eyes focused on getting the truth out of her friend, “This one’s a liar when it comes to telling me anything. I trust you more than him.”

Buck’s lips turned up at the sight of his friends arguing, finding himself more on Sorcha’s side than his nickname companion. “Normally I’d agree with you, Devs. But in all honesty, he’s telling the truth.”

A bark of teasing laughter spilled from Bucky’s mouth as he was proven right, breaking into a little dance to deepen the annoyance etched on Sorcha’s face. She turned to him, giving a light shove to his shoulder enough for the man to stumble over. A chorus of laughter erupted from the circle, all finding a brief moment of joy in another's small misfortune.

“Remind me why I hang around you?”

Sorcha was still giggling into her palm as Bucky regained balance, annoyance plastered across his features, though his eyes betrayed him, a sign of mischief below the surface. “Because you love me.” The circle suddenly went still at Sorcha’s words, though her tone was airy, they wondered if there was any punch to her assumption.

“Oh really?” teased Bucky with a lift of his eyebrow and a smirk, “M’not sure if that’s true, Devlin.”

“Ooh, using my full last name, someone’s feeling serious.”

“You wanna talk serious, how about letting me have a dance?”

Those around stood with bated breath, the women excited to see Sorcha put the overconfident Major down a peg, while the men wondered if Bucky was about to be outright rejected. Their eyes moved back and forth between the pair, analyzing Sorcha’s contemplative face versus Bucky’s unfailing smirk. Sorcha eventually gave in, offering her hand, which Bucky grabbed immediately. The two found their way onto the dance floor, nearly the whole room spectating them as they swayed to the sounds of Duke Ellington.

“M’ surprised you didn’t turn me down, Devs,” Bucky spoke over the music, not caring who heard their conversation.

“Everyone’s made their assumptions about our pairing,” Sorcha shrugged as she spoke, eyes scanning the crowd, feeling every pair of eyes on her and the Major, “Truth be told, no one’s asked me to dance in a long time.”

“What about that English guy from a while back?”

Sorcha was quick to hit Bucky on the arm, not surprised he had mentioned Doug, but shocked at the casualness in his voice. As if they weren’t having a highly public conversation, “I guess he counts, but it’s not the same as dancing here. In London, no one knew me besides Cormack. Here, everyone knows everything about everyone. Plus, my slim chances have been ruined by you.”

Bucky feigned a look of innocence before spinning Sorcha around, “Me!? What have I done?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sarcasm dripped from Sorcha’s voice as she spoke, “Maybe being a woman associated with ought to do it?”

“The boys should know better. I can’t be tied down, especially not by you.”

A gasp escaped Sorcha’s lips as Bucky teased her, “Believe me Egan, I wouldn’t dream of tying you down. It’d be like having an untrainable dog in the house.”

It was now Bucky’s turn to look offended, “You wound me deeply, Devs.” True to his words, Bucky started to slip from Sorcha’s light grip, dramatically collapsing to the floor. An embarrassed flush rose in Sorcha’s cheeks as she attempted to manage Egan’s dramatics. If people hadn’t been watching them before, they were now, as Egan flailed on the ground, theatrical cries falling from his mouth. The giggles Sorcha tried to stifle were now flowing freely from her lips, her laughter infecting those around her. Between giggles she struggled to get Buck’s attention, his name coming out in strangled cries. Soon enough, he got the hint to come retrieve his friend and pull him from the floor.

“You two caused quite a scene.” Chastised Buck, though his face betrayed the seriousness of his tone.

“It’s what we do best,” Bucky wrapped an arm around Sorcha’s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze, “Who else would entertain the troops?”

“I’m sure we could find someone else.” Shiv’s voice broke into the conversation, the rest of the group from the bar joining. “Sorcha could do a solo show for all the men.”

Lilibet choked on her drink at Shiv’s words, “I’m scared to ask what your definition of a ‘solo show’ entails.”

Shiv was quick to defend herself, poising herself as a proper young lady, “I’m appalled you’d even say that, Lil. Am I not a woman of respectable stature? There are impressionable young women here who could be corrupted by such words.” Shiv covered Aileen's ears at the latter statement, to which Aileen protested.

“I’m only a few years younger than you!”

“Exactly my point, my dear. We must shield you from these Brits and their dirty minds.”

It seemed as if a permanent look of offense was painted on Lilibet’s face as Shive spoke. She was used to the girl’s teasing but wasn’t inebriated enough to bear this level. “You in the mood for another drink, Devs?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“Shall we leave this lot behind?”

Sorcha gave a light nod before she looped her arm through Lilibets, the rest of her friends too engrossed in a new conversation about who Aileen would dance with to notice their departure. The two made their way back to the bar, which had become less crowded over time. As soon as they turned around from ordering their drinks, Bucky and Aileen were found on the floor, alongside Benny and Anika, as well as Shiv and one of the new men. “Seems like they’ve all found what they’re looking for.” Lilibet nudged Sorcha’s shoulder as she sipped her drink.

“Aileen looks happy,” Sorcha smiled at the image of her friends swaying along to the slow tune playing, “She hasn’t been the same since Biddick. It’s nice to see her genuinely smile again.”

“She deserves it. We all deserve something like that.” Lilibet’s tone was laced with wistfulness as she spoke.

Sorcha leveled a glance at her friend who seemed lost in a faraway place, “Thinking about Andrew?”

The mention of her boyfriend snapped Lilibet out of dreamland, remembering where she was, “I miss him dearly. We got to call today, and I know it’s a blessing to even be able to hear his voice, but it’s not the same.”

A downhearted smile crept onto Sorcha’s face as Lil spoke, feeling partially sympathetic to her friend. “I know I can’t entirely relate, but you know I’ll listen to you babble on about Andrew for as long as you need to.”

“Oh, Devs,” Her eyes were filled with motherly emotion, wrapping an arm around the younger girl, “One day, hopefully sometime soon, you’ll be granted with feeling the way I do. I pray you’re not in the same situation as I am, but I know you’ll open your heart to love. When that day comes, you’ll find the man most deserving of your love in the same way I’ve been granted it.”

Tears threatened to spill from the corner of Sorcha’s eyes as Lilibet spoke. She quickly grabbed a napkin from the bar and lightly dabbed at her eyes, focused on not ruining her makeup that took hours to do. “You and your romanticism.”

“I know somewhere, deep down in that heart of yours, you want the same thing for yourself.” Lil leveled a serious look at her friend, her eyes soft as she spoke, “The girls and I rib you for it all the time, but know we just have your interests in mind. There’s no need to give your love to others without getting any back.”

“I have you though,” Sorcha spoke through a teary-eyed smile

Lilibet tutted in disapproval at her friend, “That’s true. But unfortunately, I'm a taken woman.”

“I could take Andrew in a fight.” Sorcha retorted matter-of-factly, a serious look on her face.

Her words caused the Brit to dissolve into a fit of giggles, gaining attention from others at the sudden outburst. “Oh, I would pay good money to see that.”

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What was once a lively celebration eventually faded out, and only a few men and women were scattered around the officer’s club. The usual suspects of Sorcha’s makeshift friend group were chatting around the bar, while Sorcha and Aileen sat in front of the piano. Aileen’s mood had shifted along with the party, her liveliness replaced with melancholy. Sorcha had opted to keep her company, needing respite from all the socialization and attention she had gathered over the night. The women sat shoulder-to-shoulder, Aileen playing a light tune as Sorcha faced her friends at the bar, all in light spirits. A soft smile found its way onto Sorcha’s face as she took in the scene. A new body made its way into her eye line, the pilot with the bad dance moves. She watched as he made his way over to Buck and Bucky, wondering how he had the courage to speak to the majors not once, but twice in the same evening.

“You’re quite the observer, aren’t you?” Aileen's soft voice broke Sorcha out of her thoughts, her fingers still moving over the black and white keys.

“What are you talking about?”

Aileen shot Sorcha a knowing look but didn’t answer her question. Instead, she started to play a familiar tune, causing Sorcha to perk up. The beginning notes of The Parting Glass sounded from the old piano, starting soft and slow. Aileen continued playing the melody, waiting for Sorcha to start singing along, nudging her to begin. At the younger girl’s pleading eyes, she gave in, softly singing, as if Aileen was her sole audience.

“Of all the money that e'er I had I spent it in good company And all the harm I've ever done Alas it was to none but me And all I've done for want of wit To mem'ry now I can't recall So fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be to you all”

As she sang, Sorcha’s voice carried across the club, catching the interest of a few bystanders, though most heard her voice as background. Aileen shared a large grin as they sang, once again forgetting they had an audience outside of themselves. Sorcha felt an overwhelming sense of calm wash over her as she sang. She felt as if she were home, though the meaning of home had changed since she arrived at Thorpe Abbotts.

“Of all the comrades that e'er I had They're sorry for my going away And all the sweethearts that e'er I had They'd wish me one more day to stay But since it falls unto my lot That I should rise and you should not I gently rise and softly call …Good night and joy be to you all”

Sorcha’s eyes began to water as Aileen played the final notes, laying her head on the younger girl’s shoulder. A silent understanding passed through them, both knowing the meaning the song held to one another. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Bucky’s voice rang out, “Aileen! Get over here!”

Aileen looked between Sorcha and Bucky, trying to see if it was ok to leave Sorcha alone. “Go ahead,” Sorcha urged as she cleared her eyes, “I’m all good over here.”

“You’re a saint, Devs.” Aileen chirped before hugging Sorcha and rushing over to the impatient Major.

Sorcha let out a soft chuckle as she looked to the ground, shaking her head at her friend’s behavior. As she lifted her gaze, Sorcha was met with a pair of stunning blue eyes, a soft look within them. She recognized him as the officer who had been floating in her eyeline all evening, “That was beautiful.”

Hints of scarlet painted Sorcha’s cheeks at the compliment and the handsome man who it came from. For the first time all night, she was able to get a good look at the man who had been briefly occupying her thoughts. He was movie-star handsome, she thought. His hair seemed gelled to perfection, falling into place with his pristine uniform. A bashful smile played on his lips as he awaited Sorcha’s response.

“Thank you,” She spoke in a soft voice, feeling uncharacteristically embarrassed, “It’s not a crowd favorite song, but I think it’s lovely.”

A pensive look crossed the man's face as he took in Sorcha’s words. It seemed that he was truly thinking over her statement as opposed to letting it pass by in the air. The two remained in a somewhat awkward silence before the man spoke again, “Robert Rosenthal,” He stuck out his hand before adding, “Though most people call me Rosie.”

“Rosie.” Sorcha let his name spill from her mouth as her lips quirked into a smile. She took his hand, shaking it for a moment too long. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but part of her was intrigued by the man before her. So what if it wasn’t proper to let a handshake linger? There were worse things that could happen. “Sorcha Devlin. Though everyone here calls me Devs.”

“Not too creative, are they?” Rosie laughed, Sorcha’s heart fluttering at the sound.

“I fear they haven’t spent enough time working on their nicknaming skills.” Sorcha agreed, “They must have something else going on to keep them busy.”

Rosie let out another chuckle, a permanent grin etched onto his face. “Unfortunately they didn’t cover nicknames in training.”

“Well, that's a shame. Makes a girl wonder what you’re learning back in the States.”

“You should write to the higher-ups,” Rosie began as he unconsciously sat beside Sorcha, feeling the need to be closer to her. “Get them to add something in the handbook about creativity and nicknames.”

All of a sudden the piano bench felt smaller than before. She felt her stomach flutter as Rosie sat beside her. Sorcha could feel the heat radiating off Rosie and could smell his cologne, and God was it an enchanting scent. Sorcha could feel herself getting lost in his presence, demanding herself to snap out of it. She finally turned her gaze back to his blue eyes, ones that were already looking back at her. A shy smile played on Rosie's lips as he gazed at her, awaiting a response.

“I- I’m sure we could make that work.” Sorcha stuttered. Unknowingly her face scrunched up as she wondered why she was acting so strange. Ten minutes ago she had been fine, standing beside Lilibet and entertaining Bucky, but as soon as Rosie appeared, all her banter and charm faded away.

“Is everything ok, miss?” Rosie’s voice was laced with concern. His mind replayed their brief conversation, analyzing every moment to see if he made a mistake. Surely he didn’t say something out of turn or offensive?

Sorcha nearly got whiplash as she looked at the man beside her, frantic hazel eyes meeting soft blue ones. “I’m so sorry. I just- got lost in thought for a moment.”

“No need to apologize,” Rosie’s soft smile aided Sorcha’s embarrassment, the flush from her cheeks fading away, “Just wanted to make sure everything was ok.”

“It is,” Sorcha responded earnestly. Her racing mind had slowed as she gazed at Rosie. Somehow this man who she had just met found a way to calm her constant nerves that were kept below the surface.

“So, Rosie,” Sorcha began, loving how gentle his name was. It was a name she believed she could never get sick of saying. “Tell me about yourself.”

Rosie contemplated the question for a moment before turning to face Sorcha, nearly going speechless at the soft look painted on her face. How he had managed to be sitting inches away from a stunning girl like her was beyond him. “Well, I’m a pilot.”

Giggles flowed from Sorcha’s lips at his statement. “I figured as much. Why else would you be here?”

It was now Rosie’s turn to be embarrassed, internally cursing himself for starting with something so obvious. “Maybe I'm just a fan of England. You know, I hear they have absolutely lovely weather.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. Makes me miss New York weather, as finicky as it is.”

The mention of New York piqued Rosie’s interest, eyebrows raising in surprise. “You’re from New York?”

“Born and raised.” Sorcha beamed with pride, “As much as I love being over here, I miss the place.”

“I know how you feel.” Rosie sighed, “I tell ya, there’s no place like Brooklyn.”

“Brooklyn’s nice enough, but I’d argue the Bronx is better.” A teasing smile was placed on Sorcha’s face at Rosie’s look of offense.

Rosie let out a scoff at her statement, matching her smile as he crossed his arms. “I think we’re gonna have to agree to disagree.”

“I’d have to disagree with that statement.” Sorcha shrugged, not wanting to give up her position on the matter.

Rosie was about to speak again before a feminine voice cut him off. “Devs!” He turned his head to see the group of women Sorcha had previously been with, all looking at him with analyzing stares. He would be lying if he said they didn’t intimidate him, knowing that women often convey unspoken thoughts through stares.

“Duty calls,” Sorcha sighed, wishing she could spend more time sitting on the tiny piano bench with Rosie, “We’ll finish, or really start our debate another time?”

“I’ll prepare my opening remarks,” Rosie said with a wide smile, once again sending flutters through Sorcha’s body.

Sorcha stood up, sparing another glance at Rosie over her shoulder. To her surprise, he was already looking at her with a grin, that damn grin that she had quickly grown to love. He sent an awkward wave her way, causing Sorcha to giggle.

“Seems like someone had a good night.” Aileen teased as she looped her arm through Sorcha’s.

Sorcha couldn’t help the smile that threatened to lift the edges of her mouth, a very visible blush exploding on her cheeks. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her short encounter with the pilot was highly enjoyable. Rosie seemed unlike any other man she had met on the base. He held a gentleness that Sorcha found comforting. In nearly every other social encounter, she analyzed everything to make sure she was acting according to her own social rules. With Rosie, all anxiety faded away. Maybe her friends had been right to encourage her to step outside their small group, though she would rather die than confess it to them.

[feyd-meowtha]

Another snippet from the MOTA 90s clubbing AU!

(This time featuring Curt/Ken and the extent to which I had to bend space and time to make the Jude Law joke work)

“Long way from home, cowboy,” Curt said as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and flipped the top open. “Want one?” He added, holding them up toward Gale, “they’re menthols.” Gale wasn’t usually one for smoking but his tongue was begging for something to do and he did like mint so he agreed, gingerly taking one out of the packet and holding it up for Curt to light.

“You wound me,” said Bucky from the opposite side of the table, holding one hand to his chest like a mother who’d just seen her child’s first tattoo. “You don’t want my smokes but you’ll take one from this…this... fiend.” “Oh, fiend, is it? That’s a new one,” Curt mumbled as Gale said,

“You didn’t offer.” “You don’t even drink!” Bucky spluttered, gesturing far too vigorously with his burning cigarette and earning a scornful look from the woman behind him. He shook his head mournfully. “I can’t believe this. I risk life and limb to get him in here and the first chance you get, you steal him away from me.” He pointed a finger from Gale to Curt. “He smokes menthols!” Bucky finished with a huff, crossing his arms and sticking out his lower lip in a petulant show of immaturity that shouldn’t have been nearly as endearing as it was. “Told you no-one wants to kiss a guy who smokes Lucky Strikes. How old are you, eighty?” Curt said with a shrug before turning to Gale. “They have character!” Bucky exclaimed. Curt just shook his head and turned back to Gale. “Though I hate to disappoint ya Buck but I got a feeling someone special is gonna be here tonight. So I’m afraid my heart belongs to another.” “The guy who looks like Jude law?” Bucky said, his eyebrows buried somewhere up in his hairline. “Dude, don’t do it. You totally struck out last time. I saw it, I wish I didn’t but I did and it was bad.” “Yeah but that doesn’t count because I don’t remember it.” Curt said as if that made any sense whatsoever. Then he stopped dead, his eyes taking on a slightly haunted look as he met Bucky’s gaze and said solemnly. “Never let me do G again.” “It’s not my fault some people can’t hack,” said Bucky before adding, “and to be fair it wasn’t all bad. I think he thought you were kinda funny, even after you started talking about how much you liked ‘Shopping’ which he had not seen because no-one except you and me have ever seen that movie and I only watched it because you made me… but then you started making that weird groaning noise and rubbing your palms on your jeans like a sex offender.” He paused for a second, the two of them cringing in unison, “Yeah...that was- that was rough, I’m not gonna lie, so probably don’t do that again.” “Don’t have to tell me,” Curt said, shaking his head to shake off the embarrassment, “That stuff is fuckin’ evil. I’ll be stickin’ with the classics from now on.”

[gayhoediaz]

not any of my business AT ALL but noticed you said buck was too young for you at 6 years older and then I got curious....what is your type? (obvs feel free to ignore)

it’s absolutely your business my daddy issues is my favorite topic. just. imagine me tucking my feet up under myself 🥰

no read more link i'm making this everyone's business <3

(we're doing this mainly based off of looks just to make it easy. i'm also someone who values physical attraction greatly, so it makes sense to me. personally. i'll talk a little bit about just general personality and vibes at the end, though!)

get in losers, we're objectifying men! (with respect, and the acknowledgment that just like women, they are all real people, and have a lot more to offer, even the characters, they're played by real people. and i'm sure they're all wonderful people until i'm proven otherwise.)

okay. so.

i’m a pretty introspective person and i’ve actually been thinking about this lately because my taste is. relatively. unpredictable.

i did indeed say that buck would be too young for me at roughly 6 years older and i stand by that because here’s the thing: i feel like when people think of daddy issues in terms of age, they think of. people being interested in people who are. a little bit older. my personal daddy issues run so deep, i need them older. (we’re specifically talking about men. i like women too - but that’s neither here nor there and i have a good relationship with my mom, so that’s not what we’re talking abt rn.) i’m into men that like. if i told you they were my dad, you would not fucking blink.

and it’s not just the age. being an objectively attractive man roughly 20 years my senior? that’s not necessarily enough. we’re going off of celebrities and fictional characters right now cause it’s just an easy way to explain things but there are plenty of men who are very objectively attractive and are twenty years older than me, but who just. don’t look it. and i absolutely see why people thirst after them but they’re just. not for me. like. okay.

manny montana? very pretty. i love looking at him. and he is much older than me. and yet, not my type.

same with like. andy samberg. so. very. pretty. and roughly a couple decades older than me. my type? nope.

now - tony dalton?

yeah. yeah.

^^^ and it’s not just “lalo’s hot” no no no no no my ass is in the discord server at 3am losing it over pictures like this:

(^^^ he's not btw. not to me.)

when i tell y’all i’m hopeless i am HOPELESS

anyway moving onto someone else i’m feral about: billy burke but ONLY when he’s scruffy okay?

this? i mean i wouldn’t… not let hit, but

when i say im feral abt billy burke i’m talking about charlie swan and i’m talking abt this:

honorable mention i am also feral as fuck abt robert knepper

and now, i can hear you saying "oh nie, i get it, so you're not attracted to men who have like chronic boy face, i get it!!! you're into like. the jeffrey dean morgan, joe manganiello types!"

nope. i am not the slightest bit attracted to either of those men. like. *vanessa hudgens voice* i get it. i respect it.

not for me tho.

NOW. there is a little bit of a gray area when we talk about men who like... have chronic boy face and everything else about them is just... not that energy.

like. raul castillo for example.

(he looks a lot like a young version of my maternal grandpa, but that's just. something we're not gonna touch rn.) first of all? my immediate reaction is not "let me hit" my first reaction is very similar to manny montana in the sense that like. so. pretty.

but also? tummyyyyyyy so nvm let me hit yk what i mean?

(for some reason jon bernthal also goes in this category. they don't look anything alike but. same vibes to me in terms of how attracted i am, personally. where it's like. sure. yknow?)

i am also forever a mustache warrior, okay, shave off a mustache? doesn't usually necessarily ruin it for me, but grow one? it's better. immediately. actually, while oliver, just like buck, is too young to be my type, the only picture in existence where i am even the slightest bit attracted to oliver is the one from that photoshoot where the lighting accidentally made it look like he had one:

that's it. that's the only one.

(while we're on the topic of 9-1-1 cast: ryan also is too young for me, but i am very attracted to him when he has long hair. the second it's gone, he's just a silly little guy to me. i'm not really attracted to peter, although i wouldn't... say no. i'm here for kenny, though. absolutely. anytime.)

now so i feel less bad about objectifying every single man mentioned in this post, let's talk personalities (not specifically the ones mentioned, because i don't know them. this is just abt me and just general vibes that i'm drawn to) i need the vibe to be like. relaxed, which i think loops right back around to daddy issues, of course - it's not that i would be turned off if i'm with a man and he needs to cry on my shoulder 'cause something happened, that's fine - but generally there needs to be a feeling of just. not a lot of stress, not a lot of anxiety, things are handled, things will work out - you know. and usually, you tend to get that from people who are. a lot older. even people in their 30s don't usually have their shit together like that. (which is fine!!) but it's just so. just. easy to breathe when someone's like "eh, i'll fix it" (and yes, my love language is indeed acts of service)

as i put it in another post at some point: [billy burke in twilight] awakened the innermost parts of me that yearn to be railed by scruffy, mustached men old enough to be my father who look like they smell like a campfire and taste like tobacco and like i would tell them i wanted dick and they would nod once and say "yes ma'am"

the end <3

[thevestigeofvanillaan]

Dates. K.W

kit walker x female therapist!reader

content: smut?, mention of getting caught, therapy, brief mention of "god", first person, cock riding, brief swearing.

February 5th, I met Kit Walker.

"Hey Mr. Walker," I'd greet myself before telling him my name, giving him an optional nickname.

It's the art of kindness that gets you places. If you treat someone with respect, they'll open up to you.

Being a doctor in this place is like being God in heaven.

You have the upper hand, the sense of directory.

Kit Walker had a Boston accent, several scrapes on his body, pale skin, precious brown hair.. he looked innocent.

I knew that he was innocent. I was his therapist that would help them decide his treatments.

March 3rd.

"Tell me Kit, what do you remember from the night you were 'abducted'?" I ask.

Kit became more comfortable with me, he felt like he could trust me. Because, he could. I would tell lies to Sister Jude; lie about what he'd really said during our meetings.

When we first met I told him what is said between us stays between us.

As our sessions continued daily, we learned more about each other. He didn't hate women, not at all.

Kit was always respectful when talking to me.

April 2nd.

"I just wanna get outta here.." Kit sighs. "That's why I tried to run away. It wasn't so I could kill like all them say."

"I get it." I say, placing a hand on his knee and he places a hand over mine.

"I'd never do nothin' to hurt you." I see genuinity in his face. The furrowed brows, the glistening in his eyes.

Smiling, "I know you wouldn't, Kit."

We got closer each and every passing day.

Each day Kit would tell me about his past, his favorite things. But he mostly liked hearing what I had to say. Hearing about my past, my favorite things, why I'm so nice to him.

Really, I think it's because I see myself in him.

April 23rd, we kissed.

It sounds almost stupid to say out loud.

No good therapist fixes people's problems with sexual interactions, especially not in a situation like this.

Kit was awfully different, though. Kit wasn't a patient to me. Kit was a friend, a.. crush, even.

May 7th.

"What happened to you?" I ask, noticing his black eye.

"Nothin', they just wanted to know some stuff an' I guess I said the 'wrong answer'." Kit smiles softly. "I'm okay, I get to see you now."

May 19th.

"Been on too many dates now, when'm I gonna get to feel you." Kit smirks.

Sometimes, Kit was more flirty than other times. There have been times where Kit was mad, he'd usually take that frustration out by kissing me. Times where Kit was upset, and I'd hold him.

"That's not what this is, Kit." I giggle softly.

Kit would let out a breathy laugh, "You wish it was, don't you."

Today, June 1st.

"Can you come here?" Kit says seruously, right as the guard that brought him in leaves the room.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I mean, can you come here.. wanna touch you." Kit says slowly and I get up, standing in front of him.

Kit brings his hands to my waist and leads them down slowly to my back upper thigh, spreading them apart and pulling me in to straddle his lap.

"Can I love you?" Kit whispers into my neck with hot breath before latching onto my neck, kissing the skin softly.

I moan softly with closed lips and buck my hips against him when he moves his hands to fold my skirt upwards, revealing my white panties.

Kit massages my ass with his hands as he kisses my jaw, I lean my head down to look at him before kissing his lips softly.

"Bad day?" I ask, grinding my hips against his lap as we make eyecontact.

He nods, "mhm. Need you." Kit looks down and brings one hand to cup my cunt over panties, then under.

I kiss him and moan into his mouth, riding his hand before bringing my hands to his belt, undoing it as we continue to kiss.

Kit pulls down my panties and I pull down his pants and boxers, leading his cock to my entrance before sliding myself down onto him.

It felt amazing. I rode him, holding onto his shoulders as I bounce myself on his cock.

Kissing him and moaning into one another's mouths as pent up frustration and sexual need is blown from the air and let out the window.

I didn't want it to stop, but it had to eventually.

Breathing heavily into each other's mouths as we ride out our highs, I giggle softly at the look on his face. The pretty smirk, his eyes glistening.

Kit was so pretty.

But moments like these are short lasted when you get caught..

[cosmos-coma]

Metal’s Delicate Touch- Part 6

A/N: Not super proud of this chapter but I really wanted to get it out before I start working full-time again. Bucky deserves to be happy and heard and so that's what I'm gonna do damnit.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Words: 1,017

Summary: After some insight from the ever-helpful Natasha, you and Bucky have a little talk

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 (Final)

___________________________

You were beyond excited about your trip to town. To feel the sun, uninterrupted, on your skin once again was worth it; even hearing the chattering rumble of strangers all around gave you a sense of familiarity and comfort you didn’t expect. 

And though this was meant to be an escape, the conversation soon veered towards your and Bucky’s fight. You found yourself spilling all the details of what had happened just an hour or so before and a lot of it felt like a weight off your shoulders.

“You know,” Natasha hummed in thought, “I think everyone in the world wants one thing. To be heard…” she started, obviously about to go on.

“But I am-!” you began to defend but were quickly silenced by a look from the redhead. “Right… point taken. Continue…” 

“Bucky knows that you don’t blame him, but he wants you to understand why he puts himself at fault. I know it feels like love- but dismissing this as not his fault will only go so deep. People like us- soldiers and spies- we need to feel the blame,” She huffed quietly, shaking her  head, “I always hated it, but it’s how we were made…”  

Somewhere between Bucky’s intense arrival and the soft moments of your reunion, you had forgotten to see your soldier as just that. A soldier. Someone meant to fight and protect no matter the cost. 

“You talk like you’re older than he is…” you commented with a light smile, to which Natasha laughed.

“I’m not sure whether that’s a compliment or not, but I’ll be taking it as one.” 

The three of you had been out for a few hours by the time you made your way back to the tower, greeted by the quietness of it. The entire floor seemed deserted save for Steve listening to his tunes in the kitchen. 

“Buck’s in your room.” He said right away, letting you know that Bucky was finally ready to talk- but were you? 

Anxiety grew with every step as your feet padded quietly down the hall. You weren’t sure what you were so nervous about, but it still swirled in your gut. 

You knocked lightly before opening the door, looking in to see Bucky laying back on the bed, the long sleeves of his shirt hiding the shallow bruises of retribution. He looked almost peaceful as soft classics of the 30s and 40s played over the room’s speakers you almost hated to disturb him.

“James…”

You usually only reserved his real name for joyous or emotional times, but right now it held hesitancy and unease. You stood in the doorway, slouched against the door frame, and your mind urging you to bolt away from the confrontation, but your feet stood firm. 

“Y/n… Doll…” He spoke in that gentle tone again, soft and comforting as he sat up, but right now it didn’t draw you like it usually did. 

“Do you.. have time to talk..?” you asked, walking over to him, hand halfway outstretched. Without a second thought, he took your hand in his, bringing your fingers to his slightly chapped lips as he closed his eyes for a breath. 

“I always have time for you.” He looked up at you, something intentional that he couldn’t seem to bring himself to do earlier, “I’m…  I’m sorry about before. I shouldn’t have yelled or snapped, I just got so overwhelmed- I mean, that’s, not an excuse that’s just what happened and-” He rambled once more, only taking a breath when you moved your hand to cup his cheek. 

A sigh left him briefly, “I’m good… I’m okay again.” He assured you as he leaned further into your hand. He continued as you came a little closer, wrapping his hand around one of your legs in a small attempt at a hug. “I know it’s not okay, so you don’t have to tell me it is. I just- the look in your eyes after..” 

You nodded and brushed your thumb across his cheek as you began to speak. “You’re right, It wasn’t okay. I won’t begin to pretend that it was… and It definitely surprised me to hear it, but I’m trusting that you won’t do it again. We worked through a lot together in our little apartment, and though its been tense lately, our change of scenery doesn’t have to change our progress.” 

“I promise…” He nodded. “It- that wasn’t like me…” 

You nodded, “and I talked to Nat… she gave me some insight on why you’re so stuck on messing up.” you smiled a touch down at him, leaning down to tenderly graze your lips over his forehead. “You’re a soldier, you always have been… you’ve lived your life protecting others and you’re not used to walking away from a mission you’ve given yourself. I know that that’s who you are-I do. But somewhere in the mix, it must’ve slipped my mind.

I still don’t blame you, I don’t know if I ever will, “ you chuckled softly, “but I.. I see now why you were so upset…” 

Strong arms snaked their way around your hips and pulled you close against him, his face burying into the softness of your stomach. “That’s all I wanted…” He mumbled against you, “That’s all I wanted…” 

You smiled softly, and leaned over to the nightstand, “how about we go about this like old times, yeah..? We’ll listen to the radio and just chat the rest of it out quietly, yeah…?”

“Yeah… yes please…” He finally pulled his face back, chin resting on your soft belly as he gazed up at you with doe-like blue eyes. 

“Oh, and Buck?”

“...Yes, Doll?”

“I love you… I love you so much, okay?” You smiled gently, your hands coming to hold his face with only the most loving touches. “I know it’s not always easy, but don’t drift away from me again, okay..? Or I’m gonna make Steve and Nat beat you up”

Laughter came from his chest that soothed the previous tension in the room and made your heart feel light again. “Yes, Doll. I understand...”

_________________

Bucky Taglist: @writingmysanity @browneyedgirl22 @simpxinnie

Want to be added to a certain taglist? Just DM me to let me know!

[singlethread]

ok i finished 911, and now that i have can you tell me more about the buck and eddie vision with any spoilers you might have been avoiding before

Okay so first lemme link you to my PowerPoint that’s goes through season 2 up the 6.09

And honestly the second half of season 6 is what has really stepped on the gas. When Buck got struck Eddie lost all sense of self preservation and just had to get to Buck, has to make sure he was okay. He ran up the ladder after just getting struck himself, without his line secured, while screaming Buck’s name. Then we he got there he tried to pull Buck up to him before realizing he was too heavy. Then he’s so quick to get back down to them, Bobby has to force Eddie away from Buck while chim is coding him and Bobby makes Eddie drive.

Then in the next episode Eddie switches out with chim and it’s actually Eddie to start Buck’s heart again, this show has had a lot of subtext and parallels when it comes to hearts and the fact that Eddie was the one to get his partners beating again just makes me scream. Then when the doctors say they’ll do their best it’s Eddie who yells at them desperately to “do more.” While Buck is in his coma Eddie is seen in all black like a mourning spouse when Christopher insists on seeing Buck. Eddie then sneaks his son into the icu to see Buck and then he can barely even look at Buck just lying there, and Hen has to take over explaining while Eddie just silently cries. The people closest with Buck were the ones who really struggled to look at him and those people were Maddie and Eddie. They just constantly frame Eddie so differently with Buck as opposed to the other members of the firefam.

A lot of us also believe that Buck didn’t see Eddie in his coma world because he might not have been able to leave, because with Eddie is his home, his safe space. It’s shown to be canon when Maddie keeps sending over babysitters for Buck. Buck could’ve gone anywhere or even just locked his door with a note pasted on it. But no, when Buck was overwhelmed by the world and his place in it, he went to Eddie’s and fell asleep before Eddie could even come back with a beer.

Couches are another explicit metaphor in season 6 which was established when Buck said he didn’t want to pick the wrong couch again. Then he chose himself by positioning his arm chair in the center of the room. Well then his mom came and forced a couch on him, an uncomfortable one he can’t seem to sleep on, but the couch he did manage to sleep on was Eddie’s!

Then we get to the poker date episode of it all. So first of all Eddie and Chris just come to Buck’s apartment to hang out and help Chris with homework and that’s the most married co-parenting shit I’ve ever seen. And when Buck looks at his two boys he just has the most content expression in his face. Then Eddie, knowing that Buck’s been sad, starts little schemes to cheer Buck up! Then they go out together in the nicest suits we have ever seen them in and Buck is just down for anything because its Eddie even though he has absolutely no idea what’s gonna happen. To have that level of trust with someone! Also when they talk about Buck being dead, everyone keeps saying he was dead for three minutes. But it is Eddie that points out that Buck was dead for three minutes and seventeen seconds. This man knows down to the fucking second how long he had to live in a world with Buck in it and that’s some of the most in love shit I’ve ever heard.

Then when Buck starts winning and having a good time Eddie has extreme heart eyes going, literally ducks his head down at one point bc he can’t contain his happiness seeing Buck having fun again. This is the same man who doesn’t let his kid win boggle, meanwhile he’s giggling while Buck beats everyone’s ass at poker. Then when Buck wins it’s just so implicitly understood that they’re partners, when the chief asks Buck how he wants his winnings Buck immediately looks to Eddie because it’s for both of them, same with the money they scammed earlier, Eddie grabs it out of Buck’s hands but there’s no “hey that’s mine” because it’s just understood that it’s the both of theirs.

Then Buck is hanging out with Chris helping him bake cookies for his school (HELLO THATS CHRIS’S OTHER DAD) and then uses the steaks that he and Eddie won together to cook for Christopher and that shit makes me melt so hard because it just does more to establish that they are a complete family unit.

Okay then Pepa starts setting up Eddie on dates and Buck who was ghosted by Abby and knows how much that sucks was just like “lol Eddie what if you ghost her” like sir, your subconscious jealously is showing. Then when Eddie goes on the date and she lets him down and even though he was gonna let her down he spirals about her not wanting him which is just such a queer experience. Then at the end he realizes that Pepa is right, he doesn’t want to be alone. But also he’s clearly not in love with the idea of going out with strangers so hmmm perhaps someone you already know intimately would be a good fit

Then when Buck goes out with natalia Eddie makes his feeling on the matter very clear. He also has a moment of realization that Buck isn’t okay and you can just see how much it affects him and a lot of us at this point believe that Eddie is at least somewhat aware of possible feelings for Buck. But also there’s such a sadness to Eddie because he’s ready for something now, but Buck clearly isn’t.

We also have confirmation that the couch metaphor is gonna keep playing out for the rest of season 6 and we also got another scene of Chris this time sleeping on the couch and it’s framed almost the exact same way as Buck’s scene was.

I just personally have to say I have never felt this was about a ship like this before, like something has truly fucking shifted this season and especially this half of the season. We have had a profound Buck and Eddie moment almost every episode since the lightning strike and that shit means something. This show is so purposeful in everything it does, and season 6 especially has shown that with how many callbacks we’ve gotten to things that happened in earlier seasons.

I just, I really do trust the writers and even if it doesn’t happen it is canon that Buck and Eddie and Christopher are a family unit and I just really love them so much.