#it’s been 118 days since my show..

[gardensofivy]

I love my header sm bc it’s one of my favorite pics I took at model tour ugh I miss wallows.

[lives-in-midgard]

You Are In Love

Pairing: Evan Buckley x reader

Summary: When you're out with your friends you meet a handsome firefighter. After a while you go on a date and decide to keep your relationship a secret until something happens.

Word Count: 1200

A/N: Hey. This is part of the Buddie-August challenge. This also includes some characters from the Rookie. I hope you like it!

Divider made by @firefly-graphics

Buddie-August hosted by me and @buckys-wintersoldier

Prompt: Kisses

911 Masterlist | Main Masterlist

After a long shift at work one of your colleagues had the idea to go to a bar. You don’t often go to bars with all of them, but today you all finally had time. A lot has changed for you since you started working as a police officer at the Mid-Wilshire Station. You found a lot of friends there and you love your job.

“I’m gonna get a drink, would any of you like one too?” You asked the others.

“Could you get me another one of these.” Lucy said, pointing at her drink and you nodded.

“What about you Tim?”

“I’m good, thanks.” He said, smiling at you. When the others said they didn’t need anything, you made your way over to the bar. While you were waiting in line for drinks, a cute guy stood next to you and waited as well. Somehow he looked familiar to you, but you weren’t sure where you had seen him before. He smiled at you and then you suddenly remembered him. You could never forget that smile.

“You’re firefighter Buckley, right?” You asked and he chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s me. Wait and you are officer L/n.”

“You can call me y/n.” You said with a smile.

“Only if you call me Buck because that’s what everyone calls me.”

“Okay, deal.” You said and he had that sweet smile again. You talked for a few more minutes until your drinks were ready.

“See you around, Buck.”

“See you and be safe.” He said and watched as you walked back to your table. You handed Lucy her drink and sat down next to Tim again.

“Who was this guy?” Tim asked curious.

“Oh, just a friend.” You answered and Tim nodded. You and Tim have been friends and partners for a long time and over time he has become very protective over you. He always knows when something is wrong and is there for you as best as he can.

The next day you kept thinking about your meeting with Buck. He was so sweet and you hope to see him again. You didn’t think you’d see him again soon because just when you had an emergency call and had to call the ambulance, it was the 118 that showed up. You couldn’t really talk to him, but it was great to see each other again.

When you were grocery shopping and walking through the halls someone said your name and when you turned around you saw that it was Buck.

“Hey Buck.” You greeted him with a smile.

“Hey, good to see you.”

“I was wondering if you would like to have a coffee with me sometime?” He suddenly asked.

“Yeah, sure. How about I give you my phone number.” He nodded and pulled out his phone. You tipped in your number and he called you, so you had his number too.

Two days passed until you got a message from Buck. He asked if you were free tomorrow and you agreed to meet after work. At work Tim noticed that you were different, happier and more excited. He didn’t ask you about it, but it made him happy to see you happy.

The coffee date with Buck went very well. You talked about everything that came to your mind. You both really enjoyed it and had a great time. He asked you out on a date and that date turned into another date and suddenly you were in a happy relationship.

You had been dating for about three months now. Usually you were at his house or yours or sometimes you were going out. Favorite things to do together include cooking, watching movies, going to the beach and you enjoying it when he tells you a story from work and then you tell him some stories too. You’re very happy together and try to spend as much time together as possible, even if it can be a bit difficult due to your work shifts. Some people don’t think a relationship between a police officer and a firefighter is a good idea, so you decided to keep the relationship a secret for a while, which wasn’t always easy especially if you would see him on a call.

Today you have been called into a very difficult situation. You called for backup, but things quickly escalated, and you injured your left arm. Luckily, Officer Harper, Officer Nolan and Officer Bradford arrived at the right time to arrest the person. While Harper and Nolan arrested the person, Tim ran over to you and called an ambulance.

“Tim, I’m aright, it’s just a small scratch.”

“Let’s wait and see what the medics say, okay?” Tim said and put some pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. A few minutes later you could already hear the ambulance driving near you. When the doors opened you could see that it was Buck. As soon as he saw you, he ran towards you.

“Babe, are you okay? What happened?” He asked, looking at your arm. When you looked over, you saw that Tim had a confused look on his face.

“I’m okay, it’s just a small scratch.” You said again.

“Let’s go to the truck and I’ll take a look at it.” Buck said, placed his hand on your back and guided you to the truck. Then he removed the cloth from your wound and gently tried to stop the bleeding. You took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, babe.” He looked into your eyes and tried to smile at you. Then he looked back at the wound.

“The cut isn’t too deep, so it’s okay if I just bandage it.” He said and you nodded. Buck gently put the bandage over your wound and then gave you a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, honey.”

“Anytime.” He said, then Buck tucked a piece of hair behind your ear and gently pulled you into a passionate kiss. When you broke the kiss, you reached for his hand and smiled at each other.

“I have to go back to work.” You said after a few seconds, even though you didn’t want to say goodbye.

“Me too.” He said, looking over his shoulder to see his friends looking at you both with smiles.

“I guess they all know now.”

“They definitely do.” You said with chuckle. You noticed how happy they all were and then looked over at Tim who was as happy as they were.

“I think I have to go now. See you later.” Buck said and gave you a quick hug.

“See you.” You said, waving at him as you walked away. As you walked to your car, Tim was still standing next to yours and looked at you with a grin.

“Now I know why you’ve been so happy lately.”

“Yeah, Buck makes me really happy.” You confirmed and opened the car door.

You were glad that Tim and Buck’s colleagues now found out about your relationship, but you definitely want to meet them soon on a better occasion. Buck has told you a lot about them, so you’re very excited to meet them.

Taglist:

@cevansbaby-dove | @buckys-wintersoldier

@beaubbdoll

[aeruia]

⌕. WIND BREAKER

⟳. “ DID I IMPRESS YOU? ”

how would the wbk boys impress you to catch your attention or they want you to praise them?

character/s : sakura haruka , suo hayato , togame jo , kaji ren , umemiya hajime , kiryu mitsuki .

warning/s : suo’s part is like 50/50 so uhm !! you can decide if it’s part of it or not ! , ooc characters ( im sorry sighs )

word count : 100+ each

note : i have motivation to write so might as well make the best of it !! i’m also planning to make suo’s part a separate fic uhm..

sakura haruka — 119 words

i don't know but i think sakura would try to impress you by showing how he’s good at fighting but when you praise him for that or he got your attention because of that he gets flustered easily and tries to brush it off saying he’s not doing it to impress you when it’s clearly written on his face.

you can only laugh when he says that you’ll probably won't even believe anything he says and just look at his face to see if he meant it or not.

“ where have you been all these years my knight in shining armor? ” you teased him, your hands clasped together in return he looked away with a blush on his face.

suo hayato — 165 words

bro doesn't even need to impress you because you’re already impressed by him !! he’s a gentleman everyone knows and that’s also how you're already impressed because why is he so gentle? so whenever you two are together people will mistake that you and suo are dating because of how considerate suo whenever he’s with you.

you’ll never even catch him irritated whenever you let him carry your school bag or the things you bought, he’s just there following you with a smile on his face.

“ why are you doing this every time we are together? ” you asked as you take a spoonful of ice cream in your cup and eat it. “ i’m close to falling for you, you know. ” you said half jokingly when he chuckled as he wiped the ice cream from the side of your mouth. “ i’ll wait for the day you fall for me. ” he replied making you speechless and a blushing mess as you just continue to eat your ice cream.

togame jo — 118 words

did a bit of research and seems like he plays go and shogi so uh he would probably invite you to watch him play with shogi with someone.

he knew he would win it and obviously you are in awe saying how good he was at shogi so you invite him to play with you after he plays a couple of rounds. you weren't good at playing shogi but you wanna test out your skills.

he beat you once or twice then after that then lets you win every round. “ wow, togame i didn't know i’m the only one who can beat you! ” you quip making him chuckle as he nodded. ” guess you're too good at this game. ”

kaji ren — 166 words

you heard that the music playing in his headphones are something that can damage his eardrums but it seems like his ears don't even hurt so you would let him try one of your favorite music to see if he likes it.

when you two were taking a walk around the town, you were rambling about your favorite band and how cool and good their music are. kaji didn't let that slip in his mind and listened to their music when he got home.

the next day, you suggested one of their songs and his response was he had listen to it and taking a liking to the song and it was now on his playlist. your eyes widen and smiled. “ really? its a good music isn’t? you got a good taste in music! ” you praise as you pat his back as if he’s choking on something. it just made you more even happy that he has one of your very favorite song in his playlist.

umemiya hajime — 195 words

you helped him plant some seeds in the rooftop since you don’t have anything to do and everybody knows that umemiya is a man that cares for everyone. let’s imagine umemiya has like one of those portable stove hidden in the rooftop 😭😭 so you were flabbergasted when you just saw him casually take out a portable stove. he remembers that he doesn't have enough ingredients to cook something so he apologizes for that and quickly run into kotoha’s cafè to get a few ingredients. when he got the ingredients you just watched him.

you watch the white haired man cook something in front of you — you didn't even know he has the skills to cook! clearly you’re impressed since you can’t cook to save your life. ( if you would even cook it’s burnt. ) he probably learned it with kotoha. when he finished cooking he gave you a portion of food he had cooked for you two. you gave it a ten out of ten. it was delicious as you thanked him for it.

“ never knew you could cook, maybe i’ll hire you as my personal chef in the future. ” you said jokingly making umemiya snort.

kiryu mitsuki — 145 words

if you invite him to play a game with him he will accept it without hesitation even if you're bad at it or you just started playing he would help you and will still play with you even if you’re the worst player in the game.

would probably try to impress you to fish out some compliments from you and it works like a charm. “ damn, didn’t knew you’re so good at this! ” you would say as he just laughed wholeheartedly.

he probably won’t even try to hide that he’s trying to impress you. “ i should be good at all these games so i can carry you and impress you, y’know. ” he says that with a smile plastered on his face.

if you two are not talking about games or anything you’re gonna comment about how good he smells because of the perfume he uses.

date posted 062324

[becausebuckley]

michelle's buddie fic recs: week 48!

hello loves i'm so sorry for the delay!! life has been kicking my ass lately BUT i've been reading some good fics still and i'm happy to share them <3

this is a mix of fics with all ratings, so some include NSFW content. please take a look at both the ratings and the fic tags before reading! some might also contain spoilers for season 8.

if you come across something you like in this list, remember to show some love to the author by leaving kudos and a comment!

any way the wind blows | notathingtoseehere | 10.1k | M

A post s08e08 look into how Buck could backslide into his season 1 habits when his best friend leaves him. hmmm tis the season of speculation for many more months... may i recommend this one to start off with? i love a return to buck 1.0 so much!! also op i need you to know i did in fact say good job out loud lol

can i be close to you? | myemergence | 4.2k | T

“Woah, woah,” Chim laughs, “please, Buck, do not tell us what or who it is you’ve been dreaming about.” A fic written for a prompt on the Buddie discord, about forehead kisses. Fluff ensues. yes i have in fact been going through the entire buddie forehead kisses tag this past week. no i do not wat to talk about it. but i DO want to talk about this lovely little fic!!

cool | LovelyLittleGrim | 5.6k | T

Buck keeps kissing Eddie on the forehead. Eddie has some THOUGHTS about it. eddie has thoughts and so i do and those thoughts are that buck should keep doing this forever and ever <3 so cute!!

eddie diaz can't have sex | notathingtoseehere | 11.9k | M

Eddie Diaz would like to say that the 118 needs a more involved HR department, or maybe he just needs friends who do less meddling. i love firefam shenanigans and i love demi eddie and i love buddie so basically i love this fic <3

eddie diaz vs the buck's boyfriend agenda | songbvrd/@songbvrd | 23.4k | M

Eddie starts gathering information about why no one trusts Tommy. As he grows to hate their relationship more, he learns more about himself and what he wants. eddie's agenda 🤝 my agenda. all of this author's works are a delight and this is no exception <3

feels like falling in love | justhockey | 5.2k | not rated

five times Eddie doesn’t mean to kiss Buck, and the one time he does. delicious delicious 5+1 fic <3

home is not a place | ithilien22/@ithilien-writes | 9.7k | T

In which Eddie has a series of long overdue conversations - with Chris, with his parents, and also with Buck. eddie and chris having heartfelt conversations at the lake!! this is brilliant and captures their dynamic so well <3

howling all night | clytemnestra/@clytemnestraaa | 3.3k | E

Buck helps him pack. Of course he does. Buck’s helpful like that. Eddie leaves for Texas. this hurt in the best way possible <3 so gorgeous!

i've lost my mind | evenatraitormaymend | 9.4k | T

Buck doesn’t tell anyone about his insomnia for six months. Eddie notices anyway, but neither of them talk about it until it’s nearly six am and he wakes up to Buck climbing in his bed—not having slept since before their 24-hour shift started yesterday. Eddie gets to show Buck how much he’s loved. okay two things i LOVE are eddie taking care of buck but also buck researching and setting up routines and taking care of himself, so basically this is the perfect fic for me <3

the aftermath of liberation and love confessions | ElvenSorceress | 17.3k | T

In which Eddie comes out, sexuality is complicated but coffee is not, Buck makes an excessive salad and is also roasted, everyone has a love confession, and December is the most dramatic time of year. this was a lovely lovely morning read a few days ago!! i love me some good idiots in love <3

the missing children's parents club | notathingtoseehere | 34.5k | T

With Christopher in El Paso and Mara pulled out of custody, there's a lot of parents around the 118 that are missing their kids, and a lot of comfort that can be found with each other. not me realising as i'm putting this together that i keep reccing the same author... i had no idea but i promise they're all brilliant brilliant fics!! think i might have to check out their other works lol this must be a sign

'til my lungs give out | time_leigh | 1.1k | G

Buck wakes slowly, gently. He lays still, breathing slowly, enveloped in the soft embrace of a duvet. He is not awake enough to open his eyes and shifts, slowly turning his head deeper into his pillow, feeling the drag of the cotton, smelling home. There is an arm laced over his chest. Slowly, an ear-splitting grin grows across his face. soft and sweet and absolutely tooth-rotting fluff in the best way possible <3

transduce the mind | detectivemeer/@buick118 | 2.4k | E

Buck’s talking about how nearly a third of US gymnasts are in the southeast and how Maddie did rhythmic dance—not dance, Eddie—and he’s reaching for the remote to find their next binge when all the bad ideas Eddie’s ever successfully obliterated resurrect themselves. And Eddie figures, in a cold empty echo, that his life is already ruined. What's one more grenade launched at the rubble? this is STUNNING and so so so well-written, i loved every second of it!!

trying to be cool about it | jukoist | 6.1k | G

Buck and Eddie have always tried too hard to force themselves to like the people they're dating (to varying degrees of success). They have very different responses to realizing how easy it has been to be in love all along. this is the most brilliant most buddie premise ever and it's executed so so well and i love it!! such a good time <3

when everything's on fire | beartowns/@glowingyears | 15.4k | T

Eddie and Chris move in with Buck after a fire. Buck breaks up with his boyfriend, buys a house with Eddie, and realizes he's in love. In precisely that order. oh the buddie house hunting always hits so good <3 this is a beautiful take on that trope and it's just such a wonderful fic!!

[eddiazx]

woody & buzz - evan buckley x reader

It's just a costume, it's just a costume.

Buck repeats the mantra in his head, as if repeating a fact would somehow make his boner disappear.

The two of you were at Hen and Karen's house, amongst other members of the 118, celebrating Halloween with just the adults since Harry and May decided to take the younger kids trick-or-treating. Buck had decided to make use of the cowboy hat he had from his ranch hand days, and dressed up as Woody from Toy Story. So naturally, you had to be Buzz Lightyear. Your costume was a one piece that was tight and showed a lot more skin than the astronaut did. Not that Buck was complaining, of course.

He may have survived just the tight material on your body, but you were also wearing extremely tall white boots. And Buck couldn't stop envisioning having you underneath him wearing the boots and nothing else.

Since Buck had a shift earlier today and you didn't, the two of you had decided to take separate cars to meet up at the Wilsons'. Buck is sure that if he had seen the costume earlier, the two of you would not have even left the apartment.

You make your way to Buck, who had been leaning behind the kitchen island, trying to hide his arousal from everyone.

"Here, babe," you say, as you thrust a red Solo cup of a mysterious-looking liquid at him. "I don't know what it is, but Karen said it would clear a sinus infection you didn't even know you had."

Buck chuckles, and accepts the cup. He shifts to the right and leans in close to give you a kiss that he hopes conveys thank you and hi, I've missed you, and oh crap, you can probably feel him poking you through his pants right now.

His suspicions are confirmed when you giggle, and quirk your eyebrow at him.

"Hey, I'm only human! Of course I'm going to be turned on when I see my girlfriend dressed like this!" Buck defends himself, waving his hands from your head to your feet.

You laugh louder, and say, "Wow, I can't believe you're dressed as Woody and sporting a woody. The jokes just write themselves."

Buck lets out a noise that's a cross between a groan and a laugh. He doesn't think his boner would quell anytime soon, not when you were next to him, smelling, looking, and sounding amazing.

Buck doesn't have to suffer for long though, because you're tugging on his arm, steering him towards the front door.

"Come on, I already told Hen we would be back later in the night. I have a cowboy to ride."

[peppermintquartz]

If you’re still wanting prompts, here’s a sad one: Tommy shows up at the 118 looking for Buck because his dad just died and, as cruel and awful as his father was, that was the last person he had and he desperately needs someone.

They come back from a call, a relatively simple one where they rescued a puppy from a drainpipe, and Eddie is telling Chimney about Chris finally asking how everyone was at the station. Buck is smiling at the conversation, glad for the progress, when Kirsten, the new probie left behind due to her sprained wrist, jogs up to the engine.

"Buck? There's someone here to see you," she says, big green eyes a little concerned. "Says his name is Tommy."

Buck freezes. Eddie hops off the vehicle and nods at Kirsten. "Where is he?"

She points to the loft, then lowers her voice. "He seems kinda... off. Like he's not all there, if you know what I mean."

As Eddie thanks Kirsten, Buck walks towards the stairs. His heart seems to beat twice as hard. They've not spoken to each other since that day Tommy walked out, and even though Buck saw that Tommy wanted to text him the other day, Tommy never quite followed through and Buck didn't want to be the one to reach out.

When he gets to the sofa where Tommy is seated, he pauses. Tommy looks like death warmed over. His usually healthy appearance looks haggard and the laugh lines around his mouth drag his face down, and there's scruff that's at least three days old. He hasn't even reacted to Buck coming near him, so lost in thought that he seems to have stopped breathing.

Out of it is the right description.

"Tommy?" Buck ventures.

Tommy jerks, and his gaze slides up. Shadows under his eyes dark as bruises mar the handsome face, and the lovely storm blue eyes are ringed with red and fatigue.

"Tommy, are you alright?" Buck sits next to him, taking Tommy's hand on instinct, realizing only after that he's done so, but it'll be weird to drop it. Tommy's hand is cold, too, cold as ice, a very strange sensation when he tends to run hot.

"I'm sorry," Tommy whispers, "I just. Didn't have anyone to go to. Not about this."

Eddie and Hen have come up to the loft, taking in the scene. Chimney is keeping well back at the kitchen island next to Bobby, the two of them sharing glances.

"You hurt his feelings and now you're crawling back?" Eddie demands. There's no real acid in his tone. Eddie's not happy about seeing Tommy here, Buck supposes, but there's no need for Eddie to be angry. And there's something here that Tommy isn't saying.

"Eddie, shut up." Buck covers Tommy's hands in both his own. "What's wrong?"

"Dad. Stroke. I had to fly to Florida a few days ago... was with him all of yesterday and..." Tommy's usually stoic facade crumples and he bows over, his big shoulders shaking. "Evan. I'm sorry. I shouldn't come here, but I can't go home. I wanted to text you, and I didn't dare, and I'm back, and I can't go home."

His heart breaking for Tommy, Buck wraps the other man in a hug. Tommy's father was an asshole who drank as much as he hated people unlike him, whose abuse wasn't limited to strangers. A lot of it was done in alcohol; Tommy has been very careful with himself about alcohol for that reason.

But blood is still blood, even if it comes from open wounds and old scars. Buck can't imagine how Tommy has managed the past few days alone.

And back home, alone, without support...

Eddie and Hen look uncomfortable now. Bobby approaches, calm and steady. "Why don't you boys go to my office? I'll take us offline for an hour so we can have some food."

"Thanks, Cap. Come on, Tommy." Buck helps Tommy to his feet. Even though everything has changed between them, Tommy is still someone he wants in his life. Buck can be a good friend to a good man.

Tommy deserves someone good in his life.

[rcmclachlan]

okay, so if you’re not writing the aquarium scene in the 118/217 scheming fix-it (god i love this) can you at least share what mishap and or shenanigan gets them banned from the aquarium?? (since you mentioned it in the tags i assume you picked one!)

The aquarium is Christopher's idea, because getting Buck and Tommy back together is the one thing he and Eddie can talk about without it devolving into shouting or week-long silences that make Eddie want to put his fist through his living room wall.

So if plotting to interfere in the open bear trap that is his idiot friends' breakup gets him an hour of uninterrupted screen time with Chris three times a week? He'll meddle in a way that would make even his abuela say, "cariño, that's a little much." He'll change his legal middle name to el metiche.

"Buck used to take me to see the otters when I was younger; they're his favorite. But the exhibit has been closed for a year because they've been redoing it," Chris says, then texts him a link to the aquarium website. "The big reopening is next week. If someone asked Buck to take Jee-Yun, he wouldn't be suspicious."

"Chris, you're a genius," Eddie says, a little awed. His entire body aches to reach through the laptop screen and across state lines to pull his kid into a hug, but all he can do is sit on his hands and hope his face shows all the love he feels.

A small, but genuine grin unfurls on Chris's face. "That's not news, dad."

Eddie decides to take the aquarium idea to what Chimney keeps calling the weekly 118-217 Shadow Summit to see if the rest of the group thinks it holds water—no pun intended—and is extremely offended when Dana gives him a slow blink and says, "That's actually not bad. Who came up with it?"

"Is it that hard to believe it was my idea?"

"Very."

Dana presses the rim of her wine glass to the sly, crimson curve of her mouth. With her victory rolls, winged eyeliner, and tattoos, she looks like the winner of a car show pinup contest. She also looks like an evil queen out of an old school Disney movie. At least five people in their general vicinity look like they'd thank her if she force-fed them a poisoned apple or turned into a giant dragon.

Eddie reaches into the bowl of popcorn by his elbow and throws a handful of it at her. She just takes a sip of her wine and serenely lets the kernels bounce off her.

"Knock it off before I put you both in a time out." Lucy drains the dregs of her beer and says to Chimney, "Having Buckley take your kid is the perfect excuse—she's, what, two? Three?"

"Five," Chim says with the heartache of a man whose baby is almost old enough to rent a car. "As long as we don't tell my wife that Jee's playing the part of the cutest MacGuffin ever in this little plot, we should be good. But how do we get Tommy there?"

"Short of planting a bomb in the penguin tank, I can't think of a reason Mr. Nature Boy himself would ever voluntarily go." Hen roots around in the popcorn bowl for the kernels with the most butter. "Actually, he might be thrilled if we did that. I don't think he likes birds very much."

Dana lifts a brow. "I smell a story."

"Does it smell like KFC?" Chim pops a pretzel in his mouth and chews loudly, grinning. "Once we've adjourned the cabal for the evening, remind me to tell you about Maurice."

Eddie doesn't know Nico very well—he can't get a read on the guy to save his life—but the smug smirk he's sporting looks entirely out of place. Nico takes the last mozzarella stick off the platter they'd ordered to share and puts it between his teeth like a cigar. He looks like the world's lamest oil baron.

Eddie looks at Dana in askance. Wordlessly, she plucks a piece of popcorn out of her hair and throws it at him. It nails him right between the eyes.

"Let me handle Kinard," Nico says. "I'll get him there, no problem."

To his credit, Nico does get Tommy to the aquarium the day of the sea otter exhibit grand reopening. And thanks to Chimney planting Chris's idea in Buck's head at the start of their next shift, Buck does take Jee-Yun.

Unfortunately, their paths never cross, because while the penguin habitat doesn't explode, the sea jelly gallery does, completely flooding the first floor. When the aquarium is forced to evacuate everyone, Buck and Jee-Yun end up at the Chili's down the street, while Tommy ends up riding in an ambulance with an old woman who gets stung by a box jellyfish.

"I don't understand how this happened!" Lucy shouts, keeping her fingers on the ankle pulse of a man in the middle of an allergic reaction to a lilliputian jelly sting as Hen and Chim pump him full of epinephrine and then start administering compressions.

Eddie would help, but he's carrying three kids—two in his arms, one on his back—through shin-deep water to safety while attempting to dodge all the bluebottles floating on the surface. Dana glides past him to get the next group of kids waiting to be rescued, not a hair out of place. She looks like a fucking mermaid. He's gonna trip her the next time they pass each other.

Annoyed, Lucy casts around and then asks, "Has anyone seen Nico?"

Just in time for the man himself to sedately walk through the pandemonium, two bewildered penguins tucked under his arms like purses. He smiles brightly. "Hey, did Kinard pass through here, by any chance? Phase two of my plan is ready to go."

Eddie stares at him. "What was phase one?"

He never does find out what exactly phase one entailed, but it's enough to get them permanently banned from the aquarium for life.

"If you ask me, the punishment so does not fit the crime," Nico says, digging an elbow into Eddie's side as he jostles for room in the back of Athena's squad car.

Eddie says nothing. He's too busy mentally composing the short-answer portion of his application for the El Paso Fire Department, although, in the end, it doesn't matter. He completely forgets everything he plans on writing when Athena slides in, glances in the rearview mirror, and shouts, "Those better not be penguins in my back seat, Edmundo Diaz!"

He and Chris spend two hours talking about it during their next call, so Eddie calls it a win.

[sugdenlovesdingle]

What if everything hadn't been wrapped up in 42 minutes and the 118 did get closed down?

slightly spoiler-y for 8x04, now also on AO3

---

"They're shutting us down. They're actually shutting us down." Buck ranted as he paced up and down Tommy's livingroom. "Actually, no, they have shut us down. As of today the 118 is no more!"

"So you've said." Tommy sighed. Evan had been talking and ranting almost non stop since he'd walked through the door of his house an hour ago, and while Tommy had been happy to see him, he quickly realised his boyfriend wasn't in the mood for romance.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm a lot... but... I've never worked at a different house than the 118. Working under a different captain than Bobby is bad enough, but at least I always had the others. Now I won't even have that."

"Don't apologise. I get it, I really do." Tommy stood up and put his hands on Buck's hips. "But didn't you say Hen is working on something?"

"Yes! And she won't tell me what! And look what happened! We're all going to be moved to other houses and Bobby will still be on that tv show!"

"Hmm... but don't you think they all want the band back together as much as you do?"

"Well... yes... but I wish they'd tell me what they're doing! I could help." Buck sighed in defeat.

"I know, but I think they want to keep everything as on the down low as possible. The less people know what they're doing, the less chance there is of things not working out or someone getting in trouble."

Buck groaned and let himself slump against his boyfriend's 6'2" frame.

"I hate it when you go all reasonable on me."

Tommy chuckled and dropped a kiss in his hair.

"A few weeks at a different house might not be so bad. I mean... it did me the world of good."

"So not the same thing." Buck muttered, face still buried in Tommy's shoulder.

"When do you find out what house you'll be at?"

"Dunno." Buck mumbled. "We just came off a 48 so we're supposed to have a couple of days off... but... they just said we'd get an email telling us what house to report to and when."

"You might end up at the 122 with Sal." Tommy mused.

"Oh yeah that would be great. Working under my boyfriend's best friend." Buck said sarcastically.

"At least you know him." Tommy reminded him. "And he's a good firefighter and a good captain. If Bobby hadn't shown up, I think the 118 would now be Captain Deluca's house."

"He'd give me shit just because he could. He'd be worse than Gerrard because he's your friend and we're together."

Tommy knew he was right, but also didn't want to admit it and spend the rest of the night talking about work.

"Are you hungry? I got Chinese take out last night and there is still plenty left. I'll heat some up for you."

"In a minute." Buck said, wrapping his arms around Tommy a little tighter, keeping him exactly where he was. "Just want to stay like this for a while."

"Maybe we should sit down. We'll be more comfortable."

"Nope. I'm good." Buck told him and somehow stepped even closer until they were practically one.

"Uhm babe... I think you're buzzing."

"Baby no more bee puns please. I'm tired. It's been a hell of a day." Buck groaned. He was practically falling asleep on his feet with just Tommy's arms holding him upright.

"No, babe, you're actually buzzing. I think it's your phone?"

"What? Oh! Oh shit." Buck scrambled to get his phone out of his pocket. "Shit shit shit it's LAFD HQ." he said after glancing at the screen. "Hello? Yes this is Evan Buckley."

Tommy gave him a questioning look when almost every emotion possible moved across his boyfriend's face in a matter of seconds.

"A-are you sure about that?" Buck asked and paused to listen. "No, no, no problem. I'll uh... yes... I'll uhm... wait for the email for the details then. Yes... thank you. Bye."

"What? Don't tell me they're actually transferring you to Sal's house?"

"No... Not Sal's... I uh... have to report for duty on Friday... at the 217."

[saveyourblood]

Pretty Boy - Ch 12 (Buddie x Reader)

Summary: You can feel Buck staring. When your eyes meet his, you realize he’s staring at your hand, which is still on Eddie’s knee. You slowly retreat, which makes Buck turn his attention to your face. You smile softly. He just looks out the window. The one where you’re an advanced paramedic, Buck and Eddie are firefighters, and you think you might be in love with both of them.

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10 | Ch 11

Chapter Summary: The three times you take care of Eddie without asking + the one time he asks you to

(partially NSFW)

Word Count: 4k Warnings: Smut (starts halfway through the '4th time')

The first time you help Eddie, it’s to get Christopher ready for school.

Eddie is trying his best to keep their morning routine normal, but considering he isn’t working and he’s an arm down, it’s a little difficult. It’s more than a little difficult, actually, and not just for Eddie.

Watching Eddie struggle with what’s normally an easy task pulls at your heartstrings. You see his eyebrows get closer together as he frowns in concentration and his jaw clench in frustration. For the most part, you try to let him figure out by himself. When he gets really frustrated, though, or when you start to feel your heart peel apart, you step in. He lets out an angry sigh before eventually thanking you under his breath.

The four of you are sitting at the kitchen table, eating breakfast. Well, the boys are eating breakfast, and you’re drinking coffee. You’ve never been too big on breakfast, but especially since joining the 118, you enjoy the feeling of sitting with people you love and having a meal together.

“Do you know how to double-knot your shoes?” Christopher asks no one in particular.

You’re sitting next to Christopher while the men sit across from you. You give Eddie a look, then Buck. They look equally confused.

You laugh softly, nudging Chris’s shoulder with yours. “I sure do, buddy. What makes you ask?”

“My friend Darren says when he double knots his shoes, they stay tied all day ,” Chris explains between bites of cereal. “My shoes never stay tied all day.”

“Well, it’s not that hard to learn,” Eddie returns. “I can sh-”

He cuts himself off, and your stomach sinks.

It’s been two weeks since the shooting, one week since Eddie’s been home. He has at least another two weeks with his arm in a sling, which as far as he’s concerned, is two more weeks of hell.

The worst part (to Eddie, at least) is that it isn’t like he can’t move his arm; he just isn’t supposed to. He goes to physical therapy three times a week, and all things considered, he has a good range of motion. The physical therapy is good for the orthopedic surgery but not so great for the vascular procedure. Moving is a fine line between making things better and worse, and it’s a line Eddie is tired of walking on.

Eddie runs his good hand down his face, his fingers lingering on his jaw. There’s a distant look in his eye. You can tell he’s trying to keep it together for his son, but inside, he’s absolutely losing it.

“It’s really easy,” you promise. “Hey, how about we go put on your shoes, and I’ll show you?”

With a grin, Christopher pushes his chair out from the table and hurries towards the front door. You stand to follow him, but before you do, you give Buck a look.

He’s better at dealing with these situations. It’s one thing for you to tell Eddie everything will return to normal, but it means more when it’s coming from Buck because he’s been there . Buck was in a devastating accident at work, one that stole a limb from him for longer than imaginable. He knows the joy of the triumphs and the devastation of the lows better than you ever hope to. Where you brush things off and assure Eddie it’s not a big deal, Buck acknowledges how much it sucks. You both remind him it’s temporary.

You sit next to Christopher in front of the door. He’s slipped into both shoes already, tying the left one first. His eyebrow furrows in concentration, and you can’t help but notice how much he looks like his father. You smile.

When you hear Eddie and Buck start to talk, you turn your head to the kitchen.

“Look, I get it,” you hear Buck tell Eddie in a low voice. “One day, you’re running into buildings and climbing up Ferris wheels, and the next, you can barely put your own clothes on.”

“I should be able to teach my kid how to tie his own shoes.”

“He already knows how to tie his shoes, Eddie.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

You look back at Christopher, who’s finishing up tying his right shoe. You grin. “Alright, are you ready for this?”

He nods enthusiastically.

“It’s really simple,” you repeat, taking the loops of the laces in either hand. “You just cross them over, tuck one under, and pull it tight. It’s like tying your shoes twice. Wanna try?”

Chris reaches for his laces again.

“Like this?” Chris asks.

You give the bunny ears an extra tug for good measure before nodding your head. “Yeah, just like that. Good job.”

Buck clears his throat. “When I had my accident, I had to watch my girlfriend of two days move my mattress down the stairs because I couldn’t walk up them. It’s not easy, but it’s not forever, either.”

The second time you help Eddie, it’s with his hair.

He woke up with some gnarly bedhead that, evidently, is untamable; you’re spending the morning laying in bed lazily, and for the last 20 minutes, you’ve caught glimpses of Eddie in the master bathroom, combing his hair and making annoyed sounds.

By the time you approach the bathroom door, he’s throwing the comb in the sink out of frustration.

You raise your eyebrows. “What’s going on?”

“This one piece won’t move , no matter what I do,” Eddie says, gesturing to his head.

Most of his hair is slicked back with gel, firmly holding it in neat lines. However, one strand at the front refuses to cooperate and instead sticks straight up.

Three words immediately come to mind. They’re three words you’ve grown so used to saying over the last month. They’re three words that Eddie has grown infinitely tired of hearing.

“Can I help?”

Eddie let a sigh out through his nose.

It’s not about his hair. You both know that the most exciting thing going on today is a trip to the grocery store. He isn’t trying to make himself look good — he’s trying to make himself feel good. He’s trying to perform a menial task that, under normal circumstances, he does every day. And not being able to do it makes his attempt to feel good actually make him feel like shit.

Eventually, Eddie shrugs. “Go for it.”

You reach up and attempt to push back the strand gently. It stands straight up again, unwavering. You take a closer look and see that the roots of Eddie’s hair are a little shinier than normal.

You frown. “When’s the last time you washed your hair?”

His cheeks start to flush. “I try to every time I shower, but my hair has never been this long, and it’s hard to do with one hand.”

“Hmm,” you hum. You’ve moved on to simply running your hand over the rest of his hair. “I have an idea.”

You turn to the shower, which is a tub and shower combo. You reach down and plug the drain, then adjust the nobs until perfectly warm water rushes out of the nozzle.

Eddie frowns. “You’re gonna take a bath? That’s your idea?”

You laugh. “No, you’re gonna take a bath, and I’m gonna wash your hair.”

Eddie gives you an incredulous look. “What?”

“You heard me,” you said, pulling some of Buck’s fancy shampoo and conditioner out of a cupboard.

“Look, I appreciate everything you and Buck are doing, but you don’t have to —”

“Do you remember it?” You interrupt.

“Remember what?”

“The shooting. Do you remember?”

“Uh, bits and pieces,” Eddie says. “I remember the pain, and the back of the rig. The rest of it is either a blur or just… black.”

You set your hands on his shoulders. “We remember, okay? Buck and I… we remember every second of it. And we felt so helpless.”

You feel his shoulders sink. You move your hands to his neck. You pull him closer until your foreheads touch and you’re breathing the same air.

“We love you,” you whisper.

Eddie kisses you for the first time. He tastes like the mint toothpaste he used this morning, but there’s something familiar beyond that. There’s something so familiar about the way his tongue touches yours and the way his lips are a little chapped. It’s so warm and welcoming and unmistakably Eddie that you start to wonder why you haven’t been kissing him this whole time.

“We want to take care of you,” you whisper when you finally pull away. “Please, let me take care of you.”

When the bath is full of water, you help Eddie take his shirt off so that he can bend his arm as little as possible. He slides out of his sweatpants with ease, leaving his briefs on. You don’t say anything as he spins around on the tub's ledge, submerging his legs before slowly sinking the rest of his body into the water. It’s impossible to miss the breath of relief he lets out as he leans back into the porcelain.

You use the handheld spout to dampen his hair, slowly running your fingers through it to ensure you don’t miss a spot. When you can’t feel any dry spots, you trade the spout for the shampoo bottle, pouring some into your hands before rubbing them together. After making a decent lather, you run your hands through Eddie’s hair.

You can feel him relax into your touch. You use the tips of your fingers to create a nice lather on his scalp. After a moment, you hear him make a soft sound, like a happy hum. It brings a smile to your face.

After rinsing out his hair, you run a hand through his hair for a final time, setting the other hand on his shoulder. Eddie reaches up and takes your hand. You move it towards his chest, letting him grip your arm and lean into the touch.

The third time you help Eddie, it’s with an idea.

The three of you are navigating your relationship without much discussion, probably because it feels so effortless. You aren’t surprised when Eddie leans his head against your shoulder or when you see Buck place a hand on Eddie’s thigh under the table.

The three of you are on the couch, watching a movie. Buck has his arm around your shoulders while Eddie’s head rests in your lap. Buck lazily cards his fingers through Eddie’s hair as you stroke his cheek with your thumb. You frown, noticing how rough it is.

“You didn’t shave this morning?” You ask, looking down in your lap.

“I did,” Eddie says, eyes still fixed on the TV. “It’s the damn electric razor; it doesn’t get close enough.”

Eddie’s been out of the sling for a few weeks now, but he definitely isn’t at 100% yet. He can use his dominant hand more freely now, but repetitive tasks make his hand twitch and his shoulder spasm. The physical therapist says it will improve with practice and time, but Eddie has to make some adjustments for now. One of those adjustments includes swapping his normal straight razor for an electric one, which doesn’t sound like a big deal. However, it’s only 10 pm, and Eddie, a normally clean-shaven man, already has stubble.

You continue tracing your thumb over his face thoughtfully. “Maybe Buck could give you a shave.”

Both of their eyes move to you.

“Why me?” Buck asks. He doesn’t sound annoyed or opposed; he's just curious.

“I would, but I don’t have much experience shaving faces,” you explain.

Buck nods. He moves his arm from your shoulders to across the back of the couch, using it as leverage to push himself up and lean over Eddie’s face.

“What do you think?” Buck asks, his gaze bouncing between Eddie’s eyes and lips.

Eddie smiles. It’s a specific smile — his eyes close, and one corner of his mouth raises higher than the other. You’ve only seen the expression over the last two months of living with Eddie. He probably doesn’t even realize it’s a smile he reserves for you and Buck only.

You’re sitting on the closed toilet seat, one leg crossed over the other as you simply watch.

Eddie’s sitting in a chair from the kitchen that Buck moved to in front of the bathroom sink. Every movement Buck makes is methodical, from how everything is laid out to how he applies the shaving cream to Eddie’s face.

Buck picks up the razor and turns around. He puts his legs on either side of Eddie’s, squatting his legs so he’s more level with the other man’s face.

“Ready?” Buck asks.

Eddie puts his hands on Buck’s thighs, running his hands up and down. “Ready.”

Buck shaves a stripe down Eddie’s face from his sideburn to his jaw. Eddie tilts his head back, exposing his neck. Buck’s motions continue to be calculated, careful not to push too hard or go over the same area twice.

The entire time Buck works, Eddie explores his body with his hands. Considering how Buck’s tongue is caught between his teeth and his eyebrows are knitted in concentration, you wonder if he even notices… but you do. You see Eddie’s hands go from Buck’s thighs to his waist to his chest. You also notice that Buck is no longer hovering above Eddie but is now completely sitting in his lap.

When Buck is finished, he gently rubs a damp cloth over Eddie’s face, clearing it of any remaining shaving cream. He then tosses the rag in the sink behind him and instead uses his hands, making sure he didn’t miss a spot.

“Looks good,” Buck murmurs as he inspects his work.

Eddie moves his hands to Buck’s biceps. “Feels good.”

A dopey smile crosses Buck’s face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Eddie promises, returning the smile. “Thank you.”

Buck kisses him.

The fourth time you help Eddie, he asks for it.

You’re lying in bed, scrolling on your phone before you turn in for the night. Eddie is beside you, trying to get comfortable. No matter the position, he just can’t seem to get comfortable; every few seconds, he’s either turning or letting out an annoyed sigh.

You sit up, flipping on the bedside lamp and setting your phone beside it.

“Sorry,” Eddie says immediately. “It’s my shoulder. It’s been bugging me all day.”

“It’s fine,” you assure. “Did you take anything earlier?”

“I’m trying not to,” Eddie says as he sits up, rocking his neck with a wince.

“Did you at least take Tylenol or Advil?”

Eddie rolls his shoulder, avoiding your eyeline.

“ Eddie.”

“I’m sick of taking pills every day,” he replies.

“Okay, I understand not wanting to take the Oxy or Vicodin, but you need something ,” you say, getting out of bed.

“But I shouldn’t!” Eddie retorts. “I shouldn’t need to take something just to feel normal.”

You’re in the bathroom, opening the medicine cabinet. You grab a bottle of Tylenol, dumping two pills into your hand. You notice that right next to it is a container of magnesium muscle rub; you’ve seen Buck use it after he works out a little too hard. You pick it up and return to the bedroom.

Eddie’s waiting for you propped up on his good shoulder.

“Put out your hand,” you demand.

He sighs but listens. He downs the pills and chases them with some water in a glass on his end table.

“You got shot, Eddie: you’re gonna need pills to feel normal for a while,” you say as you get back into bed. “Shit, I still have to take meds for my ribs sometimes, and that was almost 6 months ago.”

Eddie frowns. “You do? You’ve never mentioned it.”

You shrug. “It’s just part of my life now. I can’t change it, so I might as well do something to fix it.”

“It still sucks.”

“I never said it didn’t,” you reply, the semblance of a smile crossing your lips.

Eddie reaches up to his shoulder, forcefully working the muscle between his fingers. He winces as he does it, eyes screwing shut and lip curling up.

“Let me,” you interject, gently pushing away his hand.

Eddie stares at you for a moment. He wants to protest — you can just tell. Over the weeks, though, he’s gotten better at accepting help where you and Buck offer it, especially now that he’s becoming more independent.

You reach towards your nightstand, where you set the muscle rub. “Take off your shirt.”

Eddie snorts. “You first.”

You swat his arm before showing him the container. “Buck swears by this stuff.”

Eddie complies, grabbing the neck of his shirt and pulling it over his head. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the surgical scar on his shoulder blade. It’s a long, thick line, still pink from its freshness. The one on his chest isn’t much better, puckered and angry-looking from where the bullet entered. Your heart skips a beat every time you see the markings.

You open the container of muscle rub, and the strong smell of menthol greets your nostrils. You pick up a small amount with your finger because, judging by the smell, less is more with this stuff. You warm the product between your hands before gently placing them on Eddie’s shoulder.

You stay away from the scar and instead work on the surrounding muscle. You slowly push into his skin using your thumbs before dragging your touch over the taught muscle. You can feel the rest of his body tense at the contact.

You kiss the back of his neck, letting your lips linger over his skin. “Breathe.”

He listens, a long breath leaving his lungs at your command. As he exhales, you feel his body relax beneath your touch.

You continue, working your thumbs a little deeper. You can feel the taught muscle slowly loosening with each pass. Eddie grunts With each initial stroke, but as you work your way outwards, it becomes more of a moan.

“How are you so good at this?” he asks breathlessly.

“She had a lot of practice,” Buck says from the doorway.

You didn’t hear him come in, so you smile upon seeing him. He’s leaning a shoulder against the doorframe, legs crossed and hands in his pockets. He’s in an LAFD navy t-shirt and a pair of grey sweats. He must’ve showered at the station.

You briefly press your nose into the space behind Eddie’s ear. “I did this for Buck when he hurt his leg.”

You keep working at Eddie’s shoulder, and he’s becoming putty in your hands. You get up to the muscle between his shoulder and neck, and his breath hitches. When you press your fingers and move them outwards, Eddie leans his head back onto your shoulder. As you finish the stroke, you can feel his legs start to shake against yours.

“Jesus,” he whispers at the ceiling.

Buck is still in the doorway, but his posture shifts. You notice that the fabric around his crotch is tighter.

You smirk, turning your lips against Eddie’s ear. “I think he’s jealous.”

Eddie barely registers what you said, but Buck uses it as an invitation. He approaches the bed's edge, placing a gentle hand on Eddie’s chest. At this, Eddie straightens his head.

Buck looks at you, moving his hand up to Eddie’s neck. “You’re not the only one who likes taking care of him.”

You snake a hand around to Eddie’s front, palming his dick over his shorts. He gasps in surprise, his back arching up off of your chest. You use your other hand to press him against you again gently.

“You want us to take care of you, Eddie?” You ask, taking his earlobe between your teeth.

He nods vigorously.

Buck’s fingers reach under the waistband of Eddie’s shorts. “I wanna hear you say it.”

“I… I want it.”

Buck tuts, leaving his hands where they are. “What do you want, Eddie?”

“I want… fuck…”

You trace one hand over his chest while the other rubs circles on his stomach.

Buck pulls off Eddie’s shorts, leaving his underwear. He positions himself between Eddie’s legs, licking a stripe over his clothed, hardening cock. Eddie whimpers and throws his head back on your shoulder.

You nip at Eddie’s jaw, a grin clad on your face. “He won’t do anything until you use your words: trust me.”

Eddie’s hands rub up and down your legs on either side of him. “I want you to take care of me. Both of you.”

Buck slides off Eddie’s underwear, his half-hard dick bouncing back against his stomach. Buck takes it into his hand, and the sound Eddie makes sends a warm chill through your body.

“You are so goddamn stubborn,” Buck chastizes as he picks up the pace. “It drives me fucking crazy sometimes.”

“I’m… sorry,” Eddie whines out between ragged breaths.

“Oh, you hear that, babe?” Buck asks, looking at you. “He’s sorry.”

“He should be,” you hum, kissing Eddie’s shoulder.

Buck leans up and kisses you over Eddie’s shoulder as he continues working the other man in his hand. Between your tongues colliding and the short whimpers Eddie lets out, you can feel yourself getting wet with arousal. You remind yourself it isn’t about you — this is about Eddie.

Buck moves his mouth to in between Eddie’s legs. He peppers some kisses to Eddie’s inner thighs, each of which makes his muscles ripple in anticipation. You see Eddie’s hand reach out to Buck, and you quickly grab it.

“We’re doing all the work,” you say into his ear.

You feel Eddie shake as a chill runs down his spine. He doesn’t try lifting his hand again.

Buck takes Eddie into his mouth. He’s going purposefully slow, savoring the moan Eddie lets out. Eddie’s hips rock up, desperate for more sensation. You plant your fingers over his hip bones, holding him firmly in place.

“Feels good?” You ask innocently.

Eddie isn’t small, but Buck isn’t a quitter, so he moves his head forward until his perfect pink lips are flush with Eddie’s pelvis. He looks up at you both through his lashes, and you feel another wave of arousal wash over your body. It makes your skin tingle and forms a warm knot in your stomach.

Buck starts bobbing his head, working his mouth up and down Eddie’s shaft. You pin Eddie’s hands between your legs, and you’re still holding his hips in place. Eddie whimpers desperately and lulls his head in a few different directions, taking advantage of the little motion he can make.

“Do you want to cum, Eddie?” You ask, voice gravelly.

Eddie nods, eyes shut and eyebrows taut.

Buck comes off most of Eddie’s length, keeping only the head of his cock in his mouth. This makes Eddie whine, and the muscles in his stomach tense in protest.

“You have to say it,” you remind, kissing his shoulder.

“I… I want to cum,” Eddie whispers. “Ah, fuck, please… please let me cum.”

Buck continues working his mouth up and down Eddie’s cock. He adds a hand, keeping the movements rhythmic. Eddie’s breathing picks up as his legs start to shake.

“Let us take care of you,” you encourage, moving your hands to rub them up and down Eddie’s arms. “We’ve got you.”

You don’t see Eddie’s orgasm, but you feel it. His back relaxes against you completely as his hips jut forward. His legs stop shaking, the muscles now rippling under Buck’s hands. His head is perched on your shoulder, his mouth open and panting.

Buck finally comes up for air, a string of fluid momentarily keeping his mouth and Eddie’s dick connected. He wipes his mouth with the pad of his thumb with a smirk. It’s the same look he gives you after he goes down on you.

Your hands trace Eddie’s body aimlessly, eventually settling on his ribcage. Buck runs a hand over your hair and down your neck.

You smile. “My pretty boys."

[al-the-remix]

BuckTommy Positivity Week Day 1/3 : what they love most about each other/meeting the friends and family

Slowly making my way through the @bucktommypositivityweek prompts! I'm not normally a big fan of shovel talks, but I thought Tommy deserved his own moment where his friends show up for him and have his back (and so does his boyfriend).

The bar was pretty much exactly like Buck expected it to be: plastered with an assorted collection of knick-knacks, military plaques, and wall art that Buck will just call inspired–fighting each other for wallspace all the way up to the low T-bar ceiling. The main source of light came from the ionized glow of the neon beer signs and the stained glass fixtures over the billiards tables that looked like they hadn’t been updated since the 70s. Buck was pretty sure he’d spotted at least three fire code violations just walking through the doors–but that wasn’t what tonight was about. 

A small section tucked between the fleet of pool tables and the dart boards had been reserved for their party, and from his spot at the bar Buck had a clear view of where Tommy was leaning against his pool cue, his posture the most relaxed it’s been since they’d hit Grand Junction as he laughed with the group of men gathered around him. 

Buck couldn’t help but smile. The longer they’d driven, the more tense Tommy had become, and Buck had begun to worry that maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea after all. Now he felt like he could finally breathe; they’d booked it up the 15 and onto the 70 on the way here, and Buck was looking forward to taking their time on the way home, finding the scenic routes and exploring the one road towns and tacky tourist traps they stumbled across. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken a week off work that hadn’t been the result of a near-fatal injury. 

“You know you’re the only person he’s ever brought to one of these,” came a voice to his right, one that Buck had only recently become familiar with. 

With great pain, Buck drew his attention away from Tommy to the person settling in at the bar beside him. Dave. He was the only one of the guys here that had been with Tommy since Fort Irwin. He had a wife and two daughters and a boxer named Jones–all information Buck had learned, not from the man himself, but during their three day drive from L.A. to Colorado Springs–which Tommy had used to give Buck a rundown on pretty much everything he knew about his old battalion mates from their rank down to their dental records.

“I’m happy to be here,” Buck said, meaning it. He hadn’t been expecting an invitation, taken completely off guard when Tommy had asked him so casually, as they got ready to head out for work one morning. He’d presented it like it would just be a good excuse for a fun road trip and not what Buck was starting to piece together in his head was actually a monumental gesture. Either way, he’d agreed immediately.

Dave was watching him like he was trying his best to punch through Buck’s skull and peer directly into his brain. Buck had a feeling Dave hadn’t really made up his mind about Buck–yet–and if there was one thing he was going to change by the end of the night it was that.

“Tom said you’re also a firefighter.”

Buck twisted in his chair so they were facing each other. “Yeah, actually I’m at Tommy’s old station, transferred in not long after he left. Kind of funny how things work out, eh?”

“I’ve heard stories,” Dave said in a tone that implied not all of them were good. 

“It’s not like that anymore,” Buck assured. Gerard’s second reign of the 118 had been over for a while now and Buck had been informed by Hen and Chimney that although it had been unbearable, with more eyes on him, Gerard had not been nearly as bad as the first time around. 

“I’ve heard that too.” The corner of Dave’s mouth ticked up. That was the most charitable he’d been thus far. “Tommy has a lot of good things to say about the new crew there, especially you.”

Buck wasn’t above preening a little at that. He knew all about bragging about his partner to anyone that would listen. He was practically a pro at it at this point. If anything he and Tommy had a little competition going on at this point. 

Dave’s eyes flicked over Buck’s shoulder and back. “Listen, I don’t want to overstep here because Tommy will be fuckin’ pissed at me, and I’ll never hear the end of it–but, you seem like a nice guy, and I just want to make sure you know what a big deal this is. These shindigs used to host a few more bodies before Tommy came out. Just don’t hurt him.”

He could hear Tommy’s laugh, the full-bodied, knee-slapping one he only did when you really got him cracking up or he was about three pints in, or both, floating over the din of the bar. Buck could pick that laugh out of any crowd. He could follow it home.

Dave was watching him with a curious expression, and maybe Buck hadn’t totally won him over yet, but he had a feeling they were at least moving in the right direction.

 “I won’t. And I–I won't let him know you gave me the shovel talk if you rat me out either, because he doesn't know this yet and I want him to hear it from me first, but Tommy's one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He's one of the first people I've been with in a long time that makes me feel like I can be myself, unconditionally, and I just hope I make him feel the same way, because I love him.”

“I think it’s safe to say he does.” The corner of Dave’s mouth twitched up in the amused beginning of a smile. “But you should probably let him know that instead of me, just saying.”

Buck rolled his eyes as Dave clapped him cordially on the shoulder. It looked like he wasn’t off the hot seat yet. 

He held out his glass and was pleased when Dave clinked them together. It was progress. 

///

It was 1 am when they finally made it back to their motel, the latest Buck had been out in a good long while. He’d taken the keys from Tommy before they’d even left for the evening and now he was swooping around the cab of the truck to catch his boyfriend as he nearly tumbled out of the passenger side door. 

“Easy there,” Buck said as he tried his best to steady Tommy on his own two feet, a task more difficult than it sounded. 

“I think I lost my keys,” Tommy moaned as Buck grabbed his jacket and locked up. 

“No, see I’ve got them right here.” He jangled them in Tommy’s face and watched him grin before slipping them into his own pocket. “Don’t worry I’ll give them back to you later, here let me help you out.”

He slipped his arm around Tommy’s waist, pulling him a little tighter against his side than was probably necessary.

Tommy’s clutched at his shoulder, melting against him. “You’re so nice to me.” 

“What else would I be?” Buck chuckled as he steered Tommy towards their room. He was just glad that Tommy was a placid, happy drunk–if a little handsy. “Come on big guy, let’s get you to bed.”

It was a struggle to get the door unlocked and Tommy through it with two-hundred odd pounds of boyfriend hanging off him, trying to worm his fingers under Buck’s shirt and breathing hot and damp against the juncture of his neck.  

When they finally stumbled inside Tommy starfished onto the bed, the poor old motel mattress groaning in protest beneath his weight. 

At least he looked like he wasn’t about to try and get up any time soon. 

The soft hum of the window AC unit filled the room, a pleasant contrast to the guitar riffs of the hair bands the bar had played all night. Buck filled up two cups of water, leaving one on his bedside table before settling down on the mattress beside Tommy and nudging him until he sat up. 

“Here, drink this,” he said and helped Tommy tilt the glass up to his mouth without spilling it all over himself. 

Tommy was pawing at him as soon as Evan’s hands were free. “Evan, Evan–” he said, reaching out to grip Buck’s face with both hands, pulling him closer. The special smile Buck was beginning to learn was just for him, creasing his face. “You wanna hear a secret?”

“Of course, anything,” Buck said, letting himself be manhandled and feeling real goopy and affectionate about it. 

“I love you,” Tommy said, with a lot of eye contact and the sort of drunken earnesty that made Buck’s heart just about trip out of his chest. Then Tommy frowned, his gaze going unfocused. “I’m going to be really sad if we break up.”

Buck allowed himself a chuckle at the sudden, unwarranted disappointment in Tommy’s expression. “Me too, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.” 

“Really?” Tommy asked, perking up.

“Really. I love you too, and I’m going to remind you of that tomorrow when you forget all of this in the morning.”

“I won’t forget,” Tommy insisted. 

“Okay, whatever you say, boss.”

Buck went to the bathroom to hit the head and brush his teeth and by the time he returned Tommy had managed to wrestle out of his shoes and his pants, still spread out across the covers in his shirt and socks like a massive toddler. Buck shook his head, ditching his own shirt. Tommy reached out, making grabby hands at him as Buck kicked off his jeans and crawled under the sheets beside him. He was instantly wrapped in an only slightly sticky bear hug. 

He pressed a kiss to the cowlick at the top of Tommy’s head. “You’ve got some pretty great friends.”

With more awareness than Buck expected in his current state, Tommy said: “I hope Dave didn’t bother you too much tonight, I could tell he was giving you the third degree for a bit there.” 

“Dave and I are cool,” Buck assured. “I’m glad you have guys from back then who’ve still got your back.”

Tommy went quiet for a bit after that and Buck was just figuring out how he was going to wiggle out from beneath his boyfriend without waking him to turn off the lights when Tommy muttered, “I’m glad you came with me. I was tired of coming to these by myself.”

“Any time you want, I’ve got your back too you know,” Buck whispered, holding Tommy tight in the cradle of his arms. 

“I know,” Tommy said, and Buck fell asleep to the thump of Tommy’s heartbeat pressed against his own. 

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume Meta 7x04

How we all doing?? have we managed to find some semblance of equilibrium in this new world where we have canon bi buck?? I’m not sure I’ll ever know how to exist in this world but that’s fine with me! I’m still here writing my silly costume metas and having a blast in this bright new world!

No Hen this week as we never see her out of uniform!

The rest is below the cut because you would all hate me if i clogged your feeds with this beast (shes 7k)- you have been warned!!

Actually going to start this week with a uniform out of work section!

Because three times in this episode, we had one of the firefam wearing an element of their uniform out of work and its actually pretty key!

We have Bobby in his LAFD polo when he informs Athena that Harry is wanted for assault and he fled the state.

Then we have Chim at the basketball game in his LAFD hoodie

And finally Buck at the airfield on his tour with Tommy.

All three are playing into the idea of protecting ones self by being in an official capacity in some way. Firefighters (like all first responders) are of course there to 'protect and serve' the community.

Bobby delivers the news to Athena about Harry - he's in uniform because he can inhabit a small aspect of his captain mentality - makes it easier to deliver the news and also gives him the distance to play the 'don't shoot the messenger' card if necessary.

Chimney has to step into paramedic mode at the end of the scene. The LAFD hoodie separates him from everyone else at the court and foreshadows that he will have to 'go to work' its also about chimney being there as the colleague not the almost brother in-law of Buck. An important distinction - it protects Chim from being seen to favour anyone (specifically from Buck. (Buck is angry and not being rational so Chimney has protection from Bucks potential anger for helping Eddie - Buck is already feeling awful by that point so the protection isn't needed but it provides cover if it were) and allows him to go into first responder mode. (this is so badly worded but I'm sure you get what I mean!!)

Buck is at the airfield under the guise of wanting to find out more about becoming an air support firefighter - its the cover under which he is operating to try and befriend Tommy. The jacket also provides him protection from Eddie when he shows up and finds out Buck is not coming to Vegas with him and Tommy.

Bobby

Just the one costume for Bobby this week - a maroon tee that her's wearing to sleep in. we see him in this colour a lot - its a bit of a staple colour for him and I've spoken a lot about maroon tees and shirts representing parental roles in relation to the various children of the 118. Its no different here -we can see from Bobbys face he isn't buying what Harry is saying and the parental concern we see evidenced here plays out with him calling Michael and finding out what is really going on.

Athena

Athena wears a lot of black this week, which is fairly typical from her, although we are in a much more overall muted palette than usual and its missing the jewel tones we're used to seeing her increasingly wear. its a bit of a signal of returning to normality now they're back from the cruise disaster.

She starts off in black and pink pyjamas but I'm going to talk about those at the end in the pink section so we're skipping ahead to this ruffle smocked cream blouse and her gorgons head necklace is back. the ruffling is an nod to her feathers being ruffled when Bobby tells her about Harry and his arrest warrant, and the white with the black trousers is about things being black and white - for Athena as a cop things do tend to be black and white when it comes to the law - of course Athena has always been one to work within the law to bend the rules but in this moment things are black and white.

Then we have her all in black with a red longline cardigan which has a open weave that give the appearance of mesh or a cage. The show has been using Red since day one which makes sense as it is a first responder show and you literally cannot escape it when the fire trucks are red! But they have always been pretty careful about when they use bright red in the costuming meaning its appearance with such regularity this season so far is pretty telling. Its an advance warning of incoming danger/trouble/strife, but it is rarely worn by the one who is directly in danger - they will be involved, but not the centre of it. The best example of this is Bucks bright red broadcloth shirt when Christopher calls him because Eddie is smashing up his bedroom.

Here we have it on Athena in the scene when things are about to properly kick into action with Harrys story. Athena is literally a red net about to ensnare Harry. its the one time in this episode we see Athena in a bold bright colour - something that generally is attached to her being happy or having fun, but not here.

The denim sleeveless shirt/jacket when Athena goes to the hospital to visit the lady who shot her son (does she have a name - I cant remember!) and later to talk to Harry about the reality of his altercation, is quite bulky and blocky. It's far less fitted, structured or flowy that we are used to seeing on Athena. To me this is about playing into her struggles to tread the line between mother and cop - that neither role fits right. That denim is also a fabric associated with labour, it suggests Athena is working hard to figure it out.

Then we get this all black outfit when she takes Harry to the station - it is such a simple yet effective bit of costuming, especially with the silver zips and buckles- it blends her in with the police officers in the station so she can hover the line between mom and cop - and makes it look like an arresting officer bringing in a suspect.

Harry

New Harry comes with a new style!!

I actually can't wait to see how they dress him over the rest of the season because there was a definite colour theme at play here this week with all the beiges, greens and redish browns which is very not how younger Harry dressed (he was much more bright colours).

Not going to lie - my hatred for the copaganda and the fact I've been in Bi Buck land since the episode aired has made it hard to focus on Harrys outfits in greater detail, but I do have a few thoughts!

This first shirt is a map print, maps denote journey's andHarry is on a literal and metophorical journey - the literal being the one he made form Florida to LA. The metaphorical one is all about his journey to become a man, and learning to take responsibility for his actions, so this shirt is essentially setting out his arc for the season - Makes me feel like the storylines with harry we're going to see are going to be about the community service he has to undertake and him figuring things out and growing up a bit in relation to that.

Then next up we have this cream hoodie with an brownish beige pocket. the thing I found interesting about this choice was the fact that Harry played himself off as innocent. lawyers usually instruct their clients to wear white shirts to court, and to avoid loud patterns. The white is because i suggests purity or innocence, and the loud patterns should be avoided because it suggests you're trying to employ subterfuge (that you're lying). So Harry wearing a block of cream is a play on this idea. We see him in the map shirt before - when he is employing subterfuge about his reasons for visiting, and now this cream is him trying to suggest his innocence to his mother - the use of cream rather than white is telling us that he isn't as innocent as he is making out!

Finally we have check theory (my most beloved) in play. harry returns to wearing patterns - this one check and in greens and browns. there is an element of military to the green shades, its a coloour we've seen used on Eddie to show his military background, but it is also a colour frequently worn by Athena - usually when she is fighting for her family in some way. Here it feels like a refelction of that, with the added aspect of green being a colour of growth. Harry shows contrition and is willing to take his punishement, showing his growth, but also showing his understanding of fighting for his family - and Athenas willingness to do the same. its showing us tht he is his mothers son. And of course the check is the pointer towards the fact he is in trouble - that his earlier protestations of innocence were false!

Then we move on the he Buckley-Hans

Chimney

Only the one for Chimney this week, it's a very short scene where he is completely oblivious to the tone of the conversation. He's dressed completely in greys and is by all accounts neutrally costumed. this is intentional - he's not the focus of this scene and when we think that so much of this episode is shown from Bucks pov, the use of neutral grey makes sense - Buck is projecting on to chimney in this scene. Buck himself is speaking his jealousy and fear, while what Chimney says is actually the little voice inside his head that isn't in fact jealous of Tommy, but is impressed by him

Maddie

Again only two costumes for Maddie this week and one of them is her dispatch outfit, but I'm including it because of its place with a mini colour theme for this episode, which both of her outfits play into.

I spoke about the use of red in Athenas section and its representing danger, and it is in play for both of Maddie's outfits, the wearer changes though. In the first scene, Maddie is in blue - dark blue. a tee with 'The Great School' and bobcat logo on the front. I love this, the bobcat is a symbol of inner strength and resilience in the face of adversity, while Maddie is a great source of learning for Buck - he essentially raised him and has been a sounding board for him since she returned to his life. Maddie is the next level wise older sister, her point of view is important to Buck and is grounding for him. She had got him to back down from his spiral over Eddie and Chris, until Chimney came in (and like I said above, that was Bucks inner voice, not really Chimney)

Then we have her dispatch uniform and its red. This is a clever play actually, it allows the costume team to put Maddie into red, a colour we don't really see on her outside of work (a deliberate choice as it helps distinguish work from non work to the audience). Just like Buck was the angry one in the other Buckley siblings scene, her Maddie is the one who is angry (with good reason) and we again get Buck recieving education at he hands of Maddie - in her place of work where she is a lifeline to people and where she holds authority. Buck needed her in a lifeline capacity in this moment and he got it, despite her anger. She gave him the advice and help he needed.

Eddie

Eddie my man looking suave and confident - this Eddie is Bucks version of Eddie so of course he looks cool, well dressed and in a green and black combo. In nearly every scene where Eddie nad Buck have a deep meaningful conversation - one that gets through to Buck on a higher level - that works on Bucks abandonment complex, Eddie is dressed in a black shirt and khaki green trousers (the only exception is the will reveal when he's in navy blue but that is to play in the yellow blue colour theming and its a close to black as they could have a blue!), this outfit is an inverse though, which is actually really clever. Eddie (Bucks version) here is playing into Bucks fear of abandonment - Bucks version of Eddie has spent so long building him up and chipping away at that fear that to invert that colour theme and have green on top and black trousers is a fun way of inverting that chipping away at Bucks fear - this is putting another brick in that abandonment wall

The black tank top!! Its back and everybody cheered! Ok so I wrote this meta about when the show puts Eddie into a black tank top and how it means he's in an emotionally vulnerable place and once more, the theory plays out. Obviously Eddie gets physically injured, but his face when he looks at Buck after he's gone down shows him emotionally vulnerable. Yes there is a little bit of anger and a lot of pain in the look he gives him, but there is also understanding and a little guilt too.

It's the moment Eddie realises that he has unintentionally sidelined his best friend, and the effect that has had on Buck and his abandonment issues. This is Eddie showing his truly deep understanding of Buck and how Buck ticks (and because this is also from Bucks pov, its also showing us Buck understanding that Eddie understands how Buck ticks) we get all of this proven when Tommy comes over to Bucks later and clearly states that Eddie is feeling bad about the whole situation.

It is also worth noting that When Buck has seen Eddie at the gym or being sporty in some way Eddie has either been in uniform or in a black singlet and that he always looks super competent (even if he is working through things when he is in the black singlet). From my perspective, this is an interesting choice to play into because it suggests Buck recognises Eddies emotional maturity over him, even when he's not in a great place (we can discount fight club Eddie becasue Buck didn't actually see him there), its clearly something Buck admires and places as central to how he sees Eddie.

Tommy

Tommys costuming is chefs kiss perfection to me. The wardrobe department have literally dressed him as Eddie and I am living for it.

Its a way to emphasise that Tommy and Eddie are super similar. this serves two purposes - it builds a visual connection for the audience - we don't need to be shown Tommy in the army or fighting/ training in Muay Thai etc, we can mentally make a connection to the ones we've seen of Eddies in the past and accept the information as fact. obviously not all people who join the army or undertake MMA are going to dress the same, but this is television where visual information is valuable real estate, so playing into tropes and stereotypes is a key piece of arsenal.

The other thing about it is the specific Eddies its calling back to - fight club Eddie and to a lesser extent, post breakdown Eddie when he's back in therapy and unrepressing himself.

Tommys basketball outfit is really about making him stand out from everyone else - it makes him seem to appear more because the blue shorts and the light coloured top will catch your eye, even if he's not the focus of the camera at that moment. This is all about the fact that this is Bucks perspective on things - he is seeing Tommy everywhere and feeling like he's taking over/ taking away Eddie and so we the audience feel that same thing in a visual way. The thing the blue shorts do is visually connect Tommy to buck in the next scene we see Buck in - when he is talking to Maddie at dispatch - the blues are similar enough for us to subconsciously connect back to that scene and link Buck and Tommy together rather than Buck to Eddie - who Buck is dressed more similarly too in the basketball scene.

It doesn't hurt that the blue shorts also play into yellow blue theory - especially against the sunsets yellow hues in a scene that is playing homage to a famously queer coded scene from Top gun.

Then there is this outfit from Bucks loft. again is very similar to an Eddie outfit - its the same style of shirt we often see Eddie wearing especially in seasons 4 and 5.

Tommys jeans have always been reminiscent of Eddies Jeans (I mean I know they are jeans, but I promise the significance will become clear when I get to Buck!)

Even Tommys watch is similar to Eddies Christopher watch (every other watch in the show worn by the men is all black - black strap black face and mount only the Christopher watch is different) in that it has a different coloured strap to the watch face and its mount.

The other thing I want to mention quick, is the progression of Tommys costumes in relation to them being similar to Eddies. By this I mean the first non uniform costume we see Tommy in is very stage 2 Eddie, while the one below is very much more stage 3 Eddie.

I also really like the use of a purple/red/black shot tee for this scene as well. If you watch the scene through, the way its lit changes its colour as different sections of the scene unfold. The red tones are there early on, during the apology and conversation around Eddie being allowed to have more than one friend and Christophers adoration of Buck. it gives it that air of danger lurking, because Tommy isn't sure how things are going to play out. and plays into the red/blue theme we saw with Buck and Maddie in this episode - just on a much lower level.

Then it turns this purplish shade as we move into the initial stages of flirting - from the moment Buck moves around the counter to put himself in the same space as Tommy. It gives things an air of mystery, but purple can also be a colour of enlightenment - both elements are in play here and I love they were able to do this with this shirt.

The shirt turns black at the moment Tommy says 'my attention' - the moment he essentially hold all the cards on making a move - he is the one with the power here (as the already queer person in the room) and black is a power colour, so its the perfect choice for the moment he makes his move.

Buck

Buck my beloved bi disaster. His costumes were doing some pretty impressive storytelling this episode!

We start off at the air field - I spoke at the start about this LAFD jacket and the theme of protection, but I also have other things to say about it and the rest of the costume. We don't generally see Buck out of work wearing uniform (we actually don't see many of the firefam in uniform out of work tbh) so when we do its going to have meaning. T

he thing with the bomber jacket being the choice (they could've made it a hoodie which we've seen him wear out of work more!) is that on one level plays into its name and the fact that its being worn at an airfield, while on another level it low key plays into the Buck cheating arc. which is actually fun - the idea that he's 'cheating' on the 118 by claiming he's thinking about his career options and also cheating on Eddie by trying to befriend Tommy (because at this point that is all it is its only once Eddie appears that things change).

The trousers are also important. I know I've said before about how trousers are less important than tops because they are less likely to get screen time. We not here - here they are really important, but only with the context of the rest of the episode.

These are the short in the leg dark trousers we've come to know and love on Buck - he's been solidly wearing them since season 2 and what we have seen him wearing so far in season 7 so no surprises to see them here. But this is the last time we see them and its super important and telling.

We also have Bucks white trainers - the ones that he wears when he moves forward on his journey - we see him in them the entire time this episode.

Buck and Maddie this episode have a red v blue thing going on in their scenes together. In this one Buck is in red and Maddie in blue. I spoke about the red for danger theme they seem to be using this season for the red clothes above in Athenas section and it applies here - Buck in red is foreshadowing the danger/strife that the basketball game presents as that is what he is talking about and what he is most upset about over Tommy and Eddies friendship.

It's a slightly burnt out red in comparison to Bobbys red shirt from the cruise, Athenas red cardigan, or even the red he wore when Eddie had his breakdown. Its not a full high alert colour, its a more muted and restrained colour - suggesting the danger is going to be less of a big thing, that it's just a part of it rather than the main big thing

We can also see that Buck is now wearing more traditional stonewash jeans - this is the first time we're seeing them on him since Eddies arrival at the fire house. I'll explain them in more detail in Bucks last outfit of the episode, but I needed to point their presence out here.

Basketball Buck in his white shirt and dark blue marl cut off tee - its very Buck posturing at the firehouse gym and its meant to be. Its a direct reference to the last time Buck showed any jealousy towards Eddie. The shorts are different this time in that they're white/light grey rather than black, but I think this is done for two reasons - it creates a pairing with Eddie - they are dressed similarly with dark tops and lighter grey shorts, but on opposite teams/sides.

It also makes him stand out from everyone else at the game - excepting Tommy (and a random guy in a red top with white shorts that I'm living for. When Red = foreshadowing as I've talked about above, this guys actions on the court are precursors of what is about to happen - we see him bump into Tommy - a couple of moments later and Buck does the same thing, then just before Eddie gets taken out by Buck, he gets breezed past by Eddie stumbles and starts limping. Its fun and clever and not something many people will pick up on - its a bit like the role of the bullet in Hamilton!)

Bucks bright blue chunky corduroy shirt with white tee underneath. I already spoke about the visual connection between Tommy from the basketball game and this shirt. It also fits into the red and blue theme I spoke about above - this time Buck is the one in blue and with the combination of Buck in his danger incoming white shirt and Maddie being in red it signals exactly what this scene is going to be about.

The danger, in my opinion, is Maddies wrath at Buck getting physical with Eddie. Its a perfectly valid and important response from her and plays into the growth we get from Buck in this episode that is not connected to his bi awakening - the recognition and acceptance of his bad behaviour in a far more mature way than we saw from s3 Buck.

The chunky corduroy give the shirt vertical stripes and we all know how I feel about Buck and vertical stripes at this point - I wrote about them a lot in my seasons 5 and 6 metas and the blue and white nature of bucks outfit plays into the theming that was at play in early season 6 - where Buck was free from Taylor and resisting buying a couch because he was looking for the right couch etc. (and playing house husband to Eddie nad feeding them!!!)

Here in this episode we kind of have Buck going through a similar process - free from the shackles of death and trying to figure things out - who he is and what he wants, he's still on that hamster wheel in many ways at this point in the episode but he is about to jump off it.

This is the key to happiness and Lev's advice and the year of yes scene 2.0 - the same shade of blue are at play here. Lev figuring it out ('I get it now') just as he's dying and Buck then trying to figure out what Lev had figured out and essentially failing before he died only to now get it and free himself is a blue thread we've been following through season 6 up to bucks death, then the use of this shade of blue in Bucks costumes tailed off - we saw it reappear a couple of times after the lightening strike - specifically around Natalia and his continues flirtation with death - almost like his hovering around death was him trying to grasp what Lev had figured out.

Then the blue had been gone again only for it to reappear here in this episode in a scene that precedes Bucks bi awakening and his comments about being free and 'yeah that works' with their double meanings that play in the same way as lev's 'I think i get it now' just without death coming immediately after. It's a scene when he starts to get an inkling on what his jealousy is actually about. (The fact we know he's going to be back in this bright blue in the next episode in a scene with Eddie - that is very likely a coming out scene also plays into this idea.)

And the stone wash jeans are once more there for all to see!

Then we get this dark navy blue shirt with silvery white dots and yet again those stone wash jeans.

Ok lets talk about the jeans! The fact that we haven't seen Buck wearing stone wash jeans, which if you watch the opening couple of seconds of the dispatch scene, you will see are proper normal length on him and not ankle swingers like we've got used to seeing him in for the last few seasons!

The thing with him suddenly wearing these stonewash jeans is all about imitation - imitation of Tommy (and by extension, imitation of Eddie even though we don't see Eddie in stonewash denim in this episode) because you know that old adage of dressing like the person you want to be , or the idea that you subconsciously start dressing like the person you have a crush one?? Well yeah - Buck has all these new feelings that he doesn't know what to do with, but Tommy is cool and Tommy dresses like Eddie and Eddie seems to like Tommy better than Buck now so maybe if Buck starts dressing a bit like Tommy he'lI get Eddies attention back. So he's pulled out the stone wash jeans so that he's dressed a bit more like Tommy, but he's also dressing a bit like his crush that he doesn't yet realise is a crush.

The other small thing that I think is a nice nod - So Like I said earlier, the last time we see the jeans is in 2x01 - Eddies introduction to the firehouse. This is the moment (on screen at least for us as viewers) that Buck ceases to be the probie - that baton is passed to Eddie, so its almost like a symbol of him graduating and maturing in some way. then we get the jeans back for Bucks bi awakening - we see them the entire time he's navigating all these new feelings he has - he's never been with a man, so he's like a probie again.

The thing is, that the jeans appear to be gone for his date with Tommy (makes sense - he's on a date so he's got to look good for his man!) , and from what I can tell from the (super dark even when brightened) stills from the Buck Eddie loft scene, it would appear they are gone for that scene too. We've had bts of Oliver in the jeans again, so I don't think they're gone completely, but that makes sense, he's still a baby queer after all, still navigating his way through things.

On to the shirt! I wrote a whole meta about this shirt (and the jeans actually!) when we first got this still - you can read it here and I'm still a little awestruck at how close to the mark I got!

What I want to add to what I said, now I have context is that the two previous times we've seen blue shirts with dots are played upon in this scene - the lawsuit is the obvious one and the parallel is showing Bucks growth - he got jealous and worried about being replaced and ended up lashing out and suing everyone, now he got jealous and thought he was being replaced, but as soon as he lashes out, he realises he is in the wrong and verbally acknowledges it.

The diner with Maddie scene is a bit more tricky to parse out, but for me, it ties to Doug - Maddie is quick to call Buck out when he confesses to Eddies injury not being an accident, because of her experiences at the hands of Doug. In the diner scene she is determined to go back to her apartment and her life in the aftermath of killing him - she wants life to go back to normal. In the loft scene Buck is trying to achieve that end too - he's in a new world where Tommy exists as part of his life now (as Eddies friend initially) and he wants to clear the air and move forward - so he's still a part of Eddies life.

I also want to talk about the contrast between this scene and the one where Taylor turns up at his door after the shooting and the difference between being chased and doing the chasing. Its spots v stripes!

Buck is in a similar shirt - short sleeved button up in a dark shade (black) - this one with vertical stripes for the Taylor scene and he thinks he's being chased for the first (ish) time (Abby sort of chased him but he is the one who pushed for it to be a relationship when I think she just wanted a bit of fun and a hook up! so I'm not sure if it actually counts or not). Thing is Taylor only chases him after they've already kissed and when he's then made it clear thats what needs to happen. (as an aside - Natalia does pursue Buck - not romantically, but because he has died - and she is the one wearing vertical stripes

While in this scene he doesn't have to say anything, yes he flirts, but he isn't explicit about what hewants - Tommy is the one who makes the decision to go for it, and so when he genuinely gets pursued, he is wearing dots

Chased verse's doing the chasing - dots v stripes

Then we have the Pink.

Pink is back in full force in 7x04 with it popping up regularly throughout the episode.

I didn't include Athenas pink dressing gown or Bucks pink shorts in their sections because I actually wanted to talk about them here. The context the scenes they were in gave me the information I needed to figure out what I think the purpose of all the pink we've been seeing is.

Lets start with a quick recap of all the pink from the 3 previous episodes then we'll look at the pink from this episode as well as the fact I've already spotted some for 7x05 from the trailer

7x01

Athena's pale pink top in therapy with Frank

Sue at dispatch in a pink cardigan

Christophers pencil is pink when he's sat at his desk - when he reads the letter from Shannon

Marisol in her bright pink strappy top

Lola's Manzanillo outfit is bright pink and white

Norman has pink flowers on his Hawaiian shirt and he later wears a bright pink polo shirt when he's pretending Lola is still with him.

7x02

the woman who is teaching her daughter to drive

the pink roses on Hen's jacket (which I know I said play into the theme of family bonds etc but the pink has a second meaning)

7x03

The cruise ship family nearly all wear pink at various points (grandma and mom are the exceptions)

and now 7x04

We have Ashley C in hot pink at the Bachelor mansion

Athena in her dusty pink ddressing gown (and pyjama pants

The woman who shot her son is in pink

And then there are Bucks pink shorts!

All of these scenes with the pink are scenes about either naivety and or innocence

The pink on Athena is about her being naive about her relationship with Bobby - not recognising that she is nothing to fear about them spending time together.

Sues pink cardigan. Sue's line is about the civilians at risk from the fighter jet - she is representing their innocence

Christophers pink pencil - in that scene his behaviour might be naive (he's a child so of course it is) but it comes from a place of complicated feelings as he does begin to mature - he was the innocent party in the loss of Shannon and he is the one left to suffer.

Lola is naive on the ship about having an affair and thinking she could get away with it and that it wouldn't hurt Norman. She’s also innocent in the plot regarding the bitcoin (or whatever it was)

Norman is also both naive and innocent - not recognising the fact his wife is cheating, for selling up their entire life and he is innocent in the bitcoin plot.

The mother and daughter were innocent in the car crash.

the pink flowers on Hens jacket hint at her being innocent of any wrong doing (from a departmental perspective) at the car accident.

The cruise family are innocent - just in the wrong place at rhetorical wrong time and they are a representation of all the innocent people on the boat who end up in danger on that ship.

I think the Marisol top is an interesting one - it plays into Chris being naïve thinking he can date multiple girls without them finding out. But I also think it’s foreshadowing her naivety in general - I think we might either see her immaturity in some way (perhaps on a date with Eddie) which will prove terminal for her relationship with Eddie. Now we know about this date scene coming up this is possible but it could also end up being about the fact that she is likely going to be an innocent party caught in the crossfire of Eddie unrepressing himself (much in the same way Ana was back in s4/5.

Ashely C's pink dress is a representation of the innocence of trying to find love.

Athena's pink dressing gown is about her innocently and blindly/ naively being excited about Harrys return home to her.

The lady who shot her son is innocent in that her actions were brought about by something out of her control and so she can't truly be held responsible for them.

Then Bucks pink shorts are about his queer innocence and naivety about his feelings the fact that we see them in a scene where Tommy isn’t present, a scene that is meant to inform the audience that his behaviours is all about Eddie and not Tommy - that he’s naively not grasping that part of this internal confusion that he's experiencing.

To add to all of this, we have Marisol carrying a pink bag in the teaser for next week, to me if pink theory is correct then this is playing into the idea that Marisol is naively dating Eddie and that she's going to be an innocent caught up in whatever goes down in that scene (part of this arc) the use of lighter pink here specifically on a handbag is giving me babyish vibes as well (its screaming little girl playing at dress up!). As a quick aside - I am very amused that shes been dressed in a basic black top - she looks like wait staff!

And of course there is Eddies pink ensemble that is connected to either Chims bachelor party or the Madney Wedding. I have no idea what is going to happen in this scene(s) but whatever does go down - place your bets on Eddie being innocent (and or naive!) in whatever goes on - itll be fun to see if I'm right! 🤓

Right 7k later and that is me done for this meta!!! I am handing out the tea, coffee, cake and biscuits (all dietary requirements catered for!)🫖☕️🧁🍩🍪- you've earnt them if you've made it to the end of this monster! Hope you enjoyed reading. i'm off to revel in Bi Buck some more - I can't believe its happened I'm overcome!!! 🩷💜💙

Tagged peeps as always are below!

@theladyyavilee @mistmarauder @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @bewilderedbuckley @spotsandsocks @bewitchedbewilderedbisexual @rogerzsteven @wanderingwomanwondering @oneawkwardcookie @leothill @copyninjabuckley @shammers86 @crazyfangirlallert @missmagooglie @katyobsesses @radiation-run @gayandbifiremenofmine @bi-moonlight @crazyaboutotps @princesschez75 @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @sherlocking-out-loud @tommykinarddd @satashiiwrites @lover-of-mine

(if the tags don't work its because people have changed their url (very valid of you!) and I didn't know, so let me know if you want tagging in future in the comments so I can catch the new urls!

[cosyvelvetorchid]

for bucktommy prompts - tommy smiled as he looked down the aisle at his extremely soon to be husband.

This prompt actually came at the perfect time because I already had some semblance of an idea on my head, so thanks for pushing me to write it!

If anybody else has a prompt, send to my ask and I'll write a little something something ❤️

********

Buck nuzzled further into Tommy's warmth. He'd slip beneath his ribcage and tightly wrap around his actual heart if he could. Tommy squeezed his arms around him tighter

"We should probably get up." He said placing a kiss on the top of Bucks head.

"I don't wanna." He replied muffled into Tommy's chest.

"Me neither, kid, but we've got a big day ahead, plus an early flight tomorrow - I'd like to be at least somewhat prepared."

Buck knew he was right. The plans had all come together in a rush last minute. One minute they were discussing ideas for Bucks birthday, and the next the plans were made, tickets bought, and bags were packed. Despite Tommy insisting, much to Bucks chagrin, that he leave the clipboard at the station, everything had ran pretty smoothly. Mostly because Tommy was the one doing the organising. He may not have had a clipboard but he had a way of making sure things were done properly.

"What time is everyone arriving, again?" Buck asked.

"Food is coming at 6pm, everyone arriving 6:30pm."

"So we have some time then.." Buck climbed on top of him. Tommy always struggled to resist Bucks advances. The way he so eagerly wanted to show Tommy how much he loved him. He indulged Buck for a few moments, leaning up into his languid kisses, before gently pulling away.

"Hold that thought til tonight." He said, half lifting Buck from him.

"But-"

"Nope. Later, Romeo." He placed a kiss on his forehead and got out of bed.

***

"I still don't understand why we had to get this dressed up." Chimney complained pulling at his shirt collar.

"Because it's Bucks birthday and he wanted a nice celebration. Besides, it'll be good seeing eveyone and not have half of you in uniform or dirty turnouts."

They got out if the car and Maddie took a bag from the trunk.

"Whats that?" Chim asked.

"Oh just some party favours Buck asked me to bring."

"There's my favourite girl" Buck greeted them at the door immediately picking up Jee-yun into a hug.

"Look at you!" Maddie admired Bucks deep burgundy suit. "It's nice to see you dressed like a grown up." She teased. Buck smiled.

"It is a special occasion. Gotta make some effort."

"Since when have you thought birthdays were special?" Chim asked.

"I think that's kind of obvious Howie.." Maddie answered pointing behind Buck. Tommy walked toward them in a navy blue suit so perfectly fitted it had to have been tailored she thought. He smiled them and reached a hand to stroke Jee-yun's hair.

"Hi sweetheart."

"Hi uncle Tommy!" She excitedly responded.

"Hey guys." He kissed maddie on the cheek and gave a hug to Chim. Everyone else is in the kitchen"

"Yeah sorry were late. Someone wouldn't leave until she found her rabbit." Chim gestured to Jee-yun.

"No problem. Come on." Tommy and Buck led them to the back ontonthe kitchen where the rest of the 118 were. A buffet was laid out along the entire length of the counter, and an array of drinks sat on the island.

"Finally!" Hen called out to Chim as she walked over. "Whats with the curtains?" She asked pointing to the heavy black drapes covering the bifolding doors that lead out to the back deck. "That ocean view is the best part of this house."

"Uh.. there's a problem with the deck. Couple of the boards have weakened, and didn't want the kids to go out there when it's not safe." Tommy answered. Chimney noticed a look between him and Maddie buy didn't acknowledge it.

"Ah. Good thinking."

"Happy birthday, kid." Bobby said walking over.

"Thanks cap."

"You looking forward to your trip?" He asked.

"Trip?" Lucy asked

"Buck here is abandoning us for two weeks to go on vacation." Chimney answered.

"Ooh where you going?" Lucy.

"I'm taking him to a cabin in Vermont." Tommy replied kissing Buck on the cheek.

"Stop being so adorable" Lucy responded.

"Is everyone here?" Tommy asked Buck.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You ready?" He leaned in and whispered quietly into his ear.

"I am." He smiled warmly back. Tommy nodded knowingly at Maddie.

"Right, I think it's time for some real celebratory drinks." She announced before removing a couple of bottles of champagne from the fridge?

"Champagne? Fancy!" Lucy declared taking a glass. Maddie handed everyone a glass and asked for everyone's attention.

"I just wanted to wish my big little brother a happy birthday. I know that you wouldn't want to share this day with anybody else than those here in this room. I love you so much and I'm so ridiculously happy for you." She raised a glass and everyone followed suit.

"Happy birthday!" They cheered together.

"Also! I think Tommy has something to add.

Everyone looked to him standing a little awkwardly. The man fought fires for a living but standing in a room full of people made him nervous. He hated being the center of attention.

"Thanks everybody for coming. So, as you know tomorrow Evan and I are going on vacation-"

"Boooo!" Eddie called out eliciting a laugh from everyone.

"However, it's not just a typical vacation were going on."

Everyone's faced were a wash of confusion.

"You getting married or something?" Karen suggesting jokingly. Tommy and Buck looked at one another with a smile neither of them could hide.

"Wait.. you're.. are you eloping?!" Chimmed asked. Everyone was standing wide eyed waiting for the answer.

"Uh.. not exactly." Buck answered. "We're going on our honeymoon." Tommy moved to the back and pulled away the black curtains to reveal the deck.

Chairs were placed all around - a mismatch of them, begged and borrowed - facing two small potted palm trees, a few feet apart wrapped in twinkling lights. More twinkling lights and lanterns hung all above and around giving the whole deck a beautiful warm glow.

"My uh.. my sister was right." Bucks voice was a little croaky, thick with emotion. "There's nobody else we would rather share this moment with that you guys. Our family." He turned his attention to Bobby. "What do you say. Cap? You wanna marry us?".

Bobby smiled broadly.

"My pleasure, kid."

There was a few moments of silence before the room erupted into joyous noise.

Oh my god!

Congratulations!

I can't believe it!

You sneaky son of a..!

The next 10 minutes were spent with everyone embracing them both. And chastising them for keeping it a secret.

Maddie opened up the bag she had brought in, took out a box and opened it to reveal an array of small  buttonhole flowers.

"Wait, you knew?!" Chim said to Maddie.

"Of course I did. Who do you think helped decorate?"

"I knew two of those chairs looked familiar. They're ours! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Howie, I love you - but you can't keep a secret to save you're life." Chimney started to protest but quickly conceded.

***

"I can't believe my little brother is getting married." Maddie told Buck after pulling him aside. Everyone else was taking their seat outside.

"I know, right?" He said, almost not believing it himself. "Is it.. is it weird that I kind of wish that Daniel was here to see it?" Tears formed in Maddies eyes, remembering their brother.

"No, its not weird. I think he'd be happy for you too." She said with a sad smile. "But hey, mom and dad are going to lose their mind when they find out, so you have that to look forward to."

"They're only now just starting to accept I'm dating a guy - I did not want to have to deal with their thoughts and feelings about marrying one. Besides they missed your first wedding so really im just carrying on the Buckley tradition."

Maddie lightly smacked him on the arm. He raised his hands in defence.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry." He laughed.

"Seriously, I'm so happy for you, Evan." She brought him into a hug.

"I'm happy for me too."

***

"So Buck told me you dont have a best man?" Eddie asked Tommy as they walked outside.

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about that." He turned his attention Chimney. Chim looked around before looking back at Tommy.

"Me?"

"You saved my life. I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for you." Chim smiled at him. "More importantly, if you hadn't of called asking for my help I wouldn't have met Evan. So all this-" He gestured to everyone taking their seats on their beautifully decorated deck "-wouldnt be happening if it weren't for you."

Chimney sniffed away the emotion he felt and reached out to shake Tommy's hand.

"Absolutely." He smiled and Tommy pulled him into a hug. The same type of hug he gave him after he saved his life - tightly held with his face against Chimneys to show just how grateful he was.

"Speaking of best men, you better go see if your boy is ready." Chim told Eddie. It was a given be would be Bucks best man.

Things started to quiet down as eveyone started to settle into their seats. Tommy stood at the front. Chimney to his side, looking towards the doors waiting for the love of his life to come out.

Tommy thought that it was only when you were about to die that your life flashed before your eyes. As he stood waiting, heart thumping in his chest so hard he thought for sure everyone could hear it, he thought about all the choices and moments in his life that lead to here.

All the hiding, all of the hate, all of the heartbreak. His parents, the army, even Captain Gerrard. All people and experiences that pushed him further away from who he wanted to be. Further away from happiness. He thought about all the times he'd come home from work to an empty house. All of the birthdays he'd spent alone. All those moments that he was convinced that he would never be loved.

As his eyes swept across everyone sitting in front of him - Chimney, Hen, Bobby, and everyone else he'd gotten to know at the 118 since they reconnected - his heart warmed even more. He finally had the one thing he had yearned for since he was a child. A family.

And as Maddie pressed play and the sound of Lauren Daigle's 'Hold On To Me' began playing out, the biggest smile spresd across his face as the most beautiful man he'd ever had the privilege of knowing walked out and he saw the rest of his life walking towards him.

Evan.

***

Tommy helped a drunken Lucy into Hens car, the last of the guests to leave, then walked back into the house and closed the door behind him. Buck was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, waiting. Tommy walked towards him slowly.

"So, Mr Kinard, what do you want to do now?" Buck closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around Tommys neck.

"Show my husband how much I love him." Then he crashed his lips into Tommy's.

[dadvans]

Short Term Solutions for the wip game! 💕💕💕

for the WIP title meme!

tbh can't remember what i've posted from this one before--

Tommy feels like he’s walking onto another scene when he shows up at Evan’s apartment. There’s smoke, albeit thinning through every open window, and Evan is standing on the table waving a sheet pan at the detector high overhead on the ceiling. “Hey.” Evan doesn’t look down at him. Tommy sees a smothered pot on the stove’s back burner, hallmark of a grease fire. “How do you feel about pizza?” “I love pizza,” he offers, like there’s a monster out there that somehow doesn’t. He tries to hide the worry in his voice and makes his way around the kitchen island to the stove so he can help dispose of the smoldering remains of dinner. “I’ll call Dominoes as soon as I’m not afraid of this alarm going off again,” Evan says. “Don’t worry about it.” Fuck Dominoes. Evan’s clearly had a long day, and Tommy is hungry but he’s not that hungry. They’re doing the overpriced hole-in-the-wall down the street where Ryan Gosling was apparently caught by paparazzi last week. He’s fine paying. “I can call.” Evan gives in without a fight, so he must really be at his limit. “Thanks.” It’s tough to see him like this. His usual spark has been dimming more and more the past month since Gerrard resumed control of the 118, and even on the really bad days, he seems reluctant to talk about it. The first time they did, Tommy tried to pass along wisdom from what he remembered of Gerrard: keep your head down, don’t go out of your way to do anything you weren’t asked to do (especially on a call), stay in your lane, and document every goddamn thing as best as you can the second it happens. But these days Tommy can see it in the dismissive way that Evan will crack open a beer on the countertop and say, “Nothing, nothing, you know, asked me if i moved out here ‘cause California is the land of fruits and nuts again,” that there is something worse and more complicated going on under the surface, something Evan refuses to let him help carry the weight on for a variety of reasons. It sucks. Tommy wants to help, and watching Evan struggle and buckle under whatever is going down at the 118 without him is starting to scare him. Something’s gotta give, and Tommy knows it inevitably will. The best thing he knows he can do until further notice is focus on short term solutions. He can take care of a smoking pan while Evan stands helplessly on his kitchen table. He can order a large Hellraiser, extra meat. He can get Evan so far outside of his head he’s boneless and thoughtless and can temporarily forget. “Delivery ETA is sixty minutes,” Tommy announces as he gets off the phone. “Shit, I’m sorry,” Evan says, gingerly getting off the table and setting the pan down. “I told you I’d have dinner ready, you’re probably starving. I can probably throw a salad together—“ “Don’t worry about it,” Tommy says, and that’s when he notices one of Evan’s hands is loosely wrapped. “Are you okay?” Evan seems to have forgotten about it, and looks down at his own palm when he sees Tommy staring. “What? Oh, yeah, got distracted, burned it. Then totally forgot I left the heat on high when I went to take care of it, and“—he waves his good hand vaguely around at the thinning smoke, a half-laugh catching in his throat clearly directed at himself—“yeah. Just can’t seem to stay out of my own way today.” There’s something unsaid there, some kind of weakness Evan doesn’t seem willing to part with, and it breaks Tommy’s heart. He maneuvers his way over to Evan’s side, taking him by the wrist to gently kiss over the burn. “Well, we have an hour.” He sighs. “Tell you what. Let me take care of you, get you out of your head for a bit. Then, after dinner, can we talk about it?” Evan stares up at him, eyes so big. Some invisible weight seems to slough off his shoulders at the suggestion alone, and he nods. “Yeah. Yeah, okay.”

[aesthetictarlos]

Can I be completely honest? I've been watching 911 since the pilot aired in the US and I've always loved it but at the end of season six I was very pissed for Buck and Natalia's storyline and I kinda lost interest in the show. I was tired of watching Buck always ending up in the same cycle, he's one of my favourite characters and I didn't like how they were handling his storyline back then.

When season 7 aired, I was not as enthusiastic as I wanted to be, and my expectations were... low even if I was excited to see the cruise disaster and still sure to want to join the 118 for another season. The big emergency caught my interest, of course, but what really, really brought me back at full force were Buck and Tommy and the way they handled Buck's bisexuality storyline. If the end of season 6 left me disappointed, season 7 made me feel great and excited and curious.

All this to say, Buck and Tommy were unexpected but they gave (and are still giving) me a lot. Where Natalia was so wrong for Buck, Tommy was so right. One of the many reasons why I love them so much (some of them are personal and maybe one day I'll share them too) is that they just– fit. They're so good for each other, and them getting together probably took them by surprise just as it took all of us, but what a wonderful surprise. I've never expected a new 911 season as much as I was expecting this one, because the potential is wonderful and Tommy is a great character. I'll eternally be grateful that Tim brought Lou Ferrigno Jr back on the show.

[chronicowboy]

buck and eddie are ❌NOT❌ golfers, they're the least golfy men i have ever laid eyes upon - this is an issue i am incredibly passionate about and have been since 6x17 love is in the air, do not try to change my mind, it won't work. however, there is a way they could fix both of these issues in one fell swoop. so. buck goes golfing with gerard as part of the 118's meticulously hatched plan to get him not only out of their station but the lafd for good. buck is the obvious candidate, he's a cis white man who, in gerard's head, is half straight and that's all they've really got to work with. the problem? buck is truly and terrifically terrible at golf. clearly he'll need some tutoring in order for their plan to work. and buck's like "hey, eddie, you golf right?" so cut to the driving range, a cheesy sports film montage of eddie demonstrating how to swing and buck failing miserably, he looks a little flushed and maybe a bit distracted - wonder what that's about. anyway, sun begins to fade, we're going real campy humour, we break out of the montage and eddie goes to get another basketful of balls for buck to hit. he watches buck practice his swing and shakes his head. "alright, cowboy, this clearly isn't working". no shit. "maybe you should just go instead, show up with your half swedish side". eddie's not giving up though. he gets a little flushed and awkward and shuffles up to buck, scratching at the back of his neck. "it, uh, might be, um, easier? if i could... could i, you know, put my arms around you?" buck's mouth drops open in a little o, he doesn't say anything as he turns pink as the sunset behind them. "sorry, i made it weird, didn't i? forget-" "NO!" buck winces a little at his outburst. "i mean, uh, no, y-you didn't make it weird, that might actually work" so with the face of a man about to be sent off to war, eddie positions himself behind buck and wraps his arms around him, adjusts his grip on the club and leads buck through the motions of a good swing. everything's suddenly very tense and taut. they hit the ball, it's worse than any of buck's previous hits. it lands in the netting and only just rolls over the edge. there's an "ow - what the hell" from below. they freeze, buck begins to shake with silent laughter, eddie cracks slowly, then they're both giggling, trying and failing to muffle it, eddie buries his face in buck's shoulder and laughs, buck suddenly goes quiet, but he's still smiling. "if i knew all i had to do to make you laugh was be piss poor at golf, i'd have tried this the day after chris-" "hey, at least you haven't broken my ankle yet" "it was just a sprain" buck mumbles, eddie grins. "let's try again" they swing together once more, the ball goes soaring. buck whoops and does a dorky little victory dance and eddie looks at him, bathed in the light of the sunset, and oh, he's the most beautiful thing eddie's ever seen. buck runs back over "eddie, we've gotta go again, c'mon, c'mon" eddie breaks out of his trance "yeah, gotta learn to do it by yourself. i don't think gerard would appreciate you showing up with me on your back like a koala" and scene.

[bullet-prooflove]

A journal, Christmas card and a scented candle

Tagging: @kmc1989

Bobby keeps a Christmas card in his journal, he uses it to mark the page as he writes down the five things he’s grateful for each day. It started as a method of therapy when he was coming to terms with the death of his family and now it’s a habit he maintains to keep his head on straight amongst the wins and the losses.

As he sits on the roof of the firehouse, the sun setting in the distance, he can’t help but smile as he reflects on the past twenty four hours.

It’s his birthday today and you’d surprised him with a scented candle, an expensive one that he would never allow himself to splash out on, no matter how much he may love the smell. You’d seen him observing it when the two of you were shopping at the Farmer’s Market this weekend, he hadn’t realised you’d picked it up.

The Farmer’s Market is something you’ve been doing together since he first moved to LA. You’d become his tour guide in the early years, helping him find the best places to suit his needs. It was handy having someone like you working with him, someone kind enough to volunteer their free time to take him around, engage him in the community.

It's only after you made the move to a teaching position in the training academy that things began to change between the two of you. There’d always been an attraction but neither of you had acted on it, not until you were outside of his chain of command.

Up until this morning it had been a handful of dates squeezed in between his shifts, there’d been some teasing kisses, a little petting because Bobby he hadn’t been ready. Then you’d stopped by with that candle and he’d realised in that moment just how perfect you were for him, how thoughtful, how dedicated. He’d spent the next  couple of hours showing you his appreciation, with his mouth, his body. He thought he’d be a little rusty after all that time, but when it’s with the right person…

And you are certainly were the right person, he’d known that from the moment he’d found that Christmas card on his desk during his holiday season in LA.

Bobby, you’d written, we’re lucky to have you, let’s make some new memories together next year. Mel x

He hadn’t had a single friend up until that point. Everyone else was judging his ability to run the 118, waiting for him to fall flat on his face.

But not you, never you.

He picks up his pen and writes the number one, before adding your name. It’s the same all the way throughout his gratitude diary, it has been since the moment you met.

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