#so if bucktommy aren’t moved in yet

[buckleyskin]

i really hope we see buck and tommy figure out they wanna move in with each other.

i also really hope that tommy is the one who suggests it. i know 9-1-1 likes to be dramatic but, im setting the scene.

buck is cooking breakfast for tommy before his shift and tommy walks into the kitchen - his kitchen - and he stares at the back of buck and how he moves so swiftly in tommy’s kitchen, like he’s in his home.

buck feels a presence and he’s like “morning, how long have you been standing there?” and tommy moves closer - breath picking up the pace - he wants to be closer to buck when he says this, “i want you to move in with me.” buck is stunned, usually he’s the one jumping gun and not the other way around.

this is tommy though - so ever elegant in his communication and his presence so comforting he can bask in it forever - tommy is so patient with him and always sets the pace it kind of takes him by surprise, “why?” he asks quietly. not in a demanding way but more of a, “you wanna move in with me? really?”

tommy blushes then and he looks down “well, i want you here. you look so at home” - he caves and walks closer, hands on either side of the counter caging buck in, food long forgotten - “i want to come downstairs and see you here in my kitchen, making food for the both of us, everyday. i want to come home to you after a long day of working and fighting fires and just be with you, evan.”

buck exhales, placing his hands on tommy’s shoulders near the expanse of his chest. “tommy i- i yeah id love that.”

“yeah? that’s okay?” tommy - oh sweet tommy - always so unsure if bucks actually okay with something he needs to check once or twice more. it’s the first leap he’s taken in the relationship since their first kiss.

then they kiss and make love 😔

but anyways yeah that’s how i envision it 😍 knowing damn well 9-1-1 will either make it sooo much more dramatic (but im hoping for more domestic!!!)

[inawickedlittletown]

What Do You Mean, A Plane (BuckTommy) - 8x03 coda

Read on Ao3

“I really hope those idiots get a huge fine,” Tommy said. 

Lucy bumped her shoulder against him. “I think they will.” 

“How many incidents like this is it going to take before people figure out that it isn’t a good idea to use a freaking explosive to find out the sex of their baby?” Tommy asked. 

Lucy sighed. “In premise it’s a cute concept if it’s like a cake with pink or blue frosting inside but it has gotten out of hand.” 

“And what if the kid is nonbinary? Or trans? Then what, the parents went through all this trouble just to then realize that they were wrong the whole time. I just don’t get it. And considering how dumb they and their offspring are likely to be, what if they go and have a different gender reveal and set off another fire even when they’re told that the dry climate isn’t the time or place to do something like this.” 

“You’re just a grump today, aren’t you,” Lucy said with a grin. “Lighten up, I think we should be good to go home in a bit. And hey, at least now I know I’m not expecting a gender reveal party whenever you and Buck wind up having kids.” 

Tommy decided to ignore her second statement. It was way too soon to think about kids even if Tommy could picture it. 

Lucy gave him a nudge. “Too early?” 

“We haven’t even moved in together yet. Yes, too early.” 

“Yes, but you want him to move in, don’t you.” 

She was not wrong. Evan was at his house all the time as it was, but the times when he wasn’t it felt emptier and far more quiet than Tommy preferred. 

“That’s not a denial,” Lucy said. “Come on, Kinard, this was not that bad.” 

It wasn’t. Tommy had been in the air to start dropping retardant and also helping smokejumpers get to the fire from the inside. Then, he’d been told to bring the copter down and join the ground crew. He’d found Lucy there. 

“Any idea why they brought us down?” She’d asked. 

“I guess they needed more hands down here,” Tommy said, but took note that there were no other helicopters or jets flying over the fire.

It had been a long day, but the fire was basically out, some smoke still rising into the sky. He really did think going home sounded perfect. It’d be even better if Evan was there, but Evan was on shift probably still dealing with calls related to the killer bees. Evan had said the weather had likely sent them on their way and Tommy supposed the smoke from the forest fire had calmed them too. Probably. No more bee-nados. 

When they did get cleared to go, Tommy just let out a huge yawn. Maybe it was the lack of sleep making him feel grumpy. Except that he would still be pissed at stupid people and gender reveal parties if he was fully rested. He and Lucy wound up hitching a ride with another company and they were all far too tired to talk to each other. 

Tommy checked his phone instead of making small talk. There were a few emails. Promotional garbage, a couple of bills that were on autopay and a few other random things. Nothing that required his attention. Evan hadn’t called or texted since the morning, but Tommy had seen and responded to that text. 

Evan: I don’t know what’s bothering me more today, Gerrard or the noise from the construction. 

Tommy: Tune them both out? Hang in there. 

When they got back to Harbor, he ignored the way that some of his coworkers seemed glued to the tv in the break room in favor of going to get cleaned up and out of his sweat drenched clothes. By the time he was done, they all seemed to have scattered again. The last he saw was a helicopter going up into the sky. 

He made it out to his car and found that there was way more traffic than should be normal especially when he wasn’t getting on a highway, so he put on a podcast and didn’t mind the longer drive. He made it home in one piece and then after warming up some of the leftovers went straight to his bedroom, got out of his clothes, and climbed into bed. He sent Evan a text before putting his phone on do not disturb. 

Tommy: Fire’s out. I’m home. Come over when you’re done with your shift, I’ll probably still be asleep when you do. Be safe out there. 

Then, he passed out. 

Tommy woke up when he heard his front door open, but stayed in bed until Evan made it to his room, sitting up slowly and blinking at him. 

“Shit, did I wake you?” Evan asked, voice low. 

“It’s okay. Hi, Evan.” 

“Hi,” Evan said and he crossed the room to lean over to kiss Tommy. 

“What time is it?” 

“Little after two,” Evan said as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m actually surprised we were allowed to go. They’re still working on clearing the plane. I guess if you call out half the firehouses out they had too many of us to keep all of us.”

Tommy blinked a few times. “What do you mean, a plane?” he asked. 

“The one that landed on the 110?”

“What?” Tommy asked. “A plane landed on the 110?” 

“Yeah,” Evan said, “why do you think everyone was grounded? Weren’t you? Anyway, Athena landed the plane on the 110 after Bobby and I cleared it for her. Everyone made it. Well…not the Captain I think they said she was pulled out through a hole. The co-pilot had a heart attack.”

Tommy was at a loss for words. And then, it hit him…

“Did you just say Athena landed the plane?” 

Evan nodded. “But don’t tell anyone. Bobby says she wants to remain anonymous. She’s happy to just be the passenger that saved the day.” 

“Evan, we’re going to have to backtrack to the beginning. I haven’t heard about any of this.” 

“Oh,” Evan said, eyes widening. “How? It was on every news station.” 

“I was at a fire,” Tommy said.

Evan went through it. An in air collision that wound up with Athena of all people in the pilot’s seat with a kid that was at most twelve. How the 118 had spent most of their day talking people on the plane through triage and first aid for other passengers. How Evan had been trying to reach Bobby the whole day and then just went to get him instead. Lucky decision as it turned out. 

“Who talked Athena through all of it?” Tommy asked. 

“ATC got a flight instructor on the phone,” Evan said. “It worked even when the plane couldn’t be turned.” 

“The plane had no rudder?” Tommy asked.

“The plane had at least two holes and caught on fire after landing,” Evan said. “Sure add not having a rudder.” 

“Evan,” Tommy said because it was not the time for joking. 

“Bobby, Brad, and I were on the phone with Athena trying to get to the airport when she found out it wasn’t going to turn, so we wound up clearing the highway for her to land. It all worked out.” 

Tommy let out a breath and he reached for Evan’s hand. It did work out. Tommy had clearly missed the whole thing, but it had worked out and that was very important to him especially because it meant that Evan had come home to him. Still, a small part of him did wish he’d been looped in. Tommy had never flown a commercial passenger plane or anything, but he did know how. At one point he’d even considered that a possibility after the Army. Tommy didn’t know how much help he could have offered from the ground, though, and Athena had already been connected to a flight instructor. Still, that didn’t meant that he didn’t feel a little left out maybe. 

“Wait, you said you had to clear traffic on the 110,” Tommy said. “How’d you manage that?” 

“Borrowed a motorcycle,” Evan said. 

“Borrowed a motorcycle,” Tommy repeated. 

“Needed to get there somehow,” Evan said. “Bobby and I already stole a truck from the set of the show.” 

Tommy let out a small laugh at that. “What?” 

“How do you think we were at the right place at the right time.” 

They talked a little more about it. How Bobby had taken a firetruck off the set of Hotshots and how they were joined by one of the actors. How it took a while for anyone else to arrive. How Buck had felt the windstream of the plane as it came down. 

“It was so good to see Bobby take charge. I missed him so much, Tommy.”

“I know,” Tommy said. “I know you do. Where was Gerrard during all of this?” 

At that, Evan pulled away, he turned so he could look directly at Tommy. 

“He was — probably still is — in the hospital. They never did get back to us on how he was.” 

“The hospital? What happened to him?”

Evan went stiff. “Uh…so he got in my face again. Started just ranting at me and then I heard one of the buzzsaws come loose. Well, no, I don’t know if I did. I pushed Gerrard so hard he hit his head on the ground. There was so much blood, Tommy. Hen thought he was concussed.”  

Whatever he felt about Gerrard, and whatever that man deserved, he didn’t like what this was doing to Evan. Tommy sat up a little more, letting his sheet pool at his waist. He pulled at Evan until Evan scooted next to Tommy, leaned into him. 

“The buzzsaw would have hit him?” Tommy confirmed. 

Evan gave a nod. “I just acted. Pushed him. But I was so angry so I don’t — I don’t know why I did it. I don’t know if I did it to save him. I don’t know.” 

Tommy wrapped an arm around him, brought Evan right into him and kissed the side of his head. 

“I know you, Evan, and Gerrard has been taunting you and driving you crazy for months, and while I think he can hit nerves — he’s good at it — you wouldn’t turn to violence even against him. I think you saved him.”

Evan groaned. “I’m going to get fired, aren’t I?” 

“Why?” Tommy asked. “You saved your Captain’s life even if you did injure him and you were instrumental in saving a whole bunch of people both on and off that plane. I really can’t believe I missed it.” 

“Well if not fired, then how much worse is Gerrard going to be?” 

That Tommy couldn’t predict. Gerrard was a loose cannon, a bigoted one that didn’t approve of anyone and had certainly had it out for Evan from day one. Tommy hated how powerless it made him feel, but he could be the shoulder that Evan leaned on. 

“Hey, whatever he does, I know you can handle it. Now, tell me again about you stealing a prop from a set, how does that even work?” 

“Apparently they use real trucks even if they’re not outfitted with the right tools,” Evan said. 

“And the motorcycle. And why is this the first I’m hearing about you knowing how to drive one.” 

Evan laughed, leaning into him. “Tommy, I’m so glad I could come here after all that madness.” 

“Me too, Evan. Me too.” 

The next morning, when he finally got around to watching the footage of the whole thing he figured it was probably better he hadn’t known until after the fact, when he already knew that Evan was alright and that so was everyone else. 

[alchemistc]

goon | bucktommy

THE HOCKEY AU HAS A PROLOGUE

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Tommy Kinard is hanging up his skates at the end of the season. It's time. He's ready to move on with his life. He's ready to give his knees a fucking break. The trade to the odds on favorite to win the damn thing this year is just another in a series of trades throughout his career that makes sense - he's there to allow a winning team to unload cap space, he'll get a couple minutes a night in the ramp up to playoffs, he'll retire without fanfare once the season is over. Coach Nash has other plans for him, and the team he's been traded to think he's the bees fucking knees. He's just trying to get through the rest of this season without dragging Evan Buckley into a closet and kissing him breathless.

Tommy’s a little out of breath. That’s to be expected, really — he’s been in town for a day and a half and there’s nothing quite like a practice at elevation with the fastest team in the league to cut his teeth on.

Hen eyes him up as he skates over to the bench to grab at a water bottle. She’s trying to her damndest to hide an amused grin, and failing miserably. “We keep oxygen tanks in medical,” she observes, a little sing-songy, and Tommy doesn’t bother to hide his rolling eyes or the tic in his jaw.

“I’m fine.”

Her face tells him everything he needs to know about how breathless that had sounded.

It’d been nice, finding a familiar face in the crowd after spending twenty minutes getting a tour of the practice facilities from the kid most of the league viewed with a kind of hushed reverence, save for the few who'd lived with the star power long enough to get used to it.

Tommy rarely got star-struck, anymore, but he hadn’t actually expected this years likely Hart recipient to be the first teammate to make contact; to swing by the hotel room to pick him up for practice when Tommy admitted he didn’t even have a rental yet, and he’d likely have to Uber; to walk him through and introduce him as teammates trickled in; to warn him ahead of time that eagle-eyed fans in the stands would definitely notice if his tape didn’t match the white socks still in their packaging laid out on the bottom shelf of the locker where they’d already printed off a name-card for him (”Here, I have an extra roll.”); to grin and shake his head a little when Tommy questioned exactly how many fans were likely to come to a weekday practice at the tail end of January.

Eight years out from the last time he’d seen Henrietta Wilson, calling out a red-faced AHL coach for throwing a kid back out on the ice with clear signs of a concussion, and she’s still not entertaining bullshit. “Okay, my conditioning could use some work.”

Eyebrow up over the rim of her glasses, she grabs for the water bottle and replaces it with a juicebox. Easiest ad placement since Gatorade made a name for themselves in dugouts and on sidelines, but Tommy’s got to admit it’s nice to have this shit so readily available. When he’d first been starting out, drinking anything but water (and maybe a beer between periods) had been considered pansy ass shit. “You’ll get used to the altitude. Not sure you’ll ever catch up to the pace.”

Tommy has no doubt. He hasn’t played against this specific configuration of this team, but they’ve been well known for their breakneck speed for years. He’s not an ungraceful man, but today he’s felt a bit like a baby giraffe trying to keep up with a pack of antelope, lumbering around with limbs that just won’t cooperate (and are probably gonna fucking cramp up the moment he stops moving) and lungs that aren’t taking in enough air to manage the bursts of speed these guys are executing like a light jog on a breezy spring day.

Tommy downs the electrolyte drink and takes a deep breath through his nose. “Why the fuck am I here, Hen?”

She purses her lips, tips her chin out in the general direction of where a few guys are still taking drills even as practice winds down. “Because these idiots are convinced they’re invincible, and no one has the heart to tell them talking shit to Trouba again is gonna end with one of them on a stretcher.”

Which — he’d known, in the abstract. Having an enforcer riding the bench for fifty plus minutes a night was an old school way of handling a small-light-fast team with just enough shit-talkers and star players to draw attention. Unexpected, in the current layout of the league, but not completely unbelievable. The GM had been a little shifty, yesterday, essentially reciting the same line as Hen but dressing it up in a whole lot of fancy front-office speak Tommy’s never really had the time for. He’s barely had a chance to talk to Nash, yet, but he’s sure he’ll hear echoes of it from his new head coach, too.

Tommy watches Diaz and Buckley taking turns blocking whiffle balls in front of the net; Chimney still taking drills at the net with their EBUG — McKinley had introduced him and wandered off to lace up his skates (”You can call me Nozzle,” the guy had told him, torso looking tiny in just his leg pads without his shell, too-long hair and that manic gleam in his eye that only goalies ever truly had, while Tommy listened to him talk about his plumbing apprenticeship and his daughter who loved hockey as much as her dad but wanted to be, of all things, a defenseman.); Greenway and Kinnunen taking shots from the circle getting increasingly more frustrated the longer Chim and Nozzle swapping in and out changes nothing about their ability to sneak the puck in five-hole.

There’s a palpable energy to this group. Something stirring in the air — between the single-minded focus of their stars, and the attentive way their third and fourth lines are still all out here after Nash had gathered them all in for an end-of-practice huddle, Tommy can feel the anticipation of more. More wins, more lessons, more conditioning, anything that will get this team past the second round with an eye toward the Cup. It’s been years since he’s been on a team with this much fucking focus.

Tommy eyes the fans still slowly trickling out from the bleachers — knows through word of mouth they’re likely gonna be sitting outside the parking lot waiting to see who’s gonna shift into park and lean out a window to sign some shit, talk to people for a minute or two. Kinda hopes McKinley’s still down to drive him back to his hotel so that he can watch some kid go feral when McKinley rolls down his window to greet him.

Well shit. If he’s gonna buy in, he might as well get a head start.

He turns back to Hen.

“Bunting never even got fined for that boarding call against Pannikar last year, did he?”

Hen grins. “No headshots, please.”

[shaunashipman]

I don’t mean this as a diss, but I feel like if certain buddie shippers get buddie they still won’t be satisfied? I hope that makes sense. It’s just as a lurker in this fandom there’s a clear difference in both sides. One keeps moving goal posts (as others said) and quite literally conspiring every little thing in interviews, actors social media, and even plotting against people, and I know the others aren’t innocent all the way but they’re handling their ship with a more open minded attitude. I guess what I’m trying to say is if their day does come of a canon buddie, don’t they think they should calm down a little? Maybe it’s just me but carrying all these negative emotions and unleashing them so big before what they’re calling the “path to Buddie” but I don’t think I’d be completely satisfied celebrating. And then I worry their expectations are too big for what the actors and writers can deliver, especially if it’s hard to break from their habit as shippers.

oh they most definitely won't be satisfied, they've built it up too big. they'd cheer in the moment, however it would happen, but by the next episode, when it doesn't become the Buddie Show and their relationship isn't shown exactly as they pictured, they'll riot. because they want a fanfic played out by the actors, not the actual show

and I think the bucktommy side has taken notice and we've consciously tried to do the opposite. yeah, some of us were probably disappointed we didn't get more of them in the last two eps (🙋‍♀️) but the majority of us had been sure to temper our expectations in all our theorizing, so we were more than happy with what we did get; even with all my thoughts on how s8 will go, I still remind myself that Lou isn't confirmed yet, there could still be a between seasons break up, whether for creative or practical reasons. I'd be extremely disappointed, and think it would make very little sense from a creative pov giving where they left off, but it's still something I keep in mind (if at the very back lmao) and I think a lot of others do too

it kind of sucks that we do have to basically add these disclaimers, when before fandom would just understand that, even with canon ships, 99% of what we speculated was never going to happen, but with the wall between the cast/crew and the fans being so eroded, it's important to keep it in mind

[reyesranch]

im a multishipper. i ship buddie and bucktommy. but if im being honest one side is being incredibly more hateful and toxic than the other side. (aka the one thats been around longer) maybe i’ve taken off my rose-colored shipping glasses, but seeing ppl make hate posts abt tommy/lou gives me the ick. it makes me actually realize why oliver left twt. bitterness will get you nowhere. if buddie is meant to happen then it’ll happen. you cannot force it to happen. everything i’ve seen and read tells me buddie was more of a consideration pre-s5 than it is currently. and that fucking sucks but just because things aren’t going your way doesn’t mean you need to get on the internet and be a bully. it’s truly mind-boggling to see people so intense in their hate for a character that has righted his wrongs, who is now friends with the people he wronged, is well-liked among said characters and is now being a positive influence on buck’s newfound sexuality. their dynamic is also nothing new, pessimist/optimist ship dynamics have been around forever and it’s only a problem because it’s not eddie.

i would be happy for buddie to go canon as much as the next guy. getting buck canonically bisexual is mind-blowing enough in itself, i’m glad we’re witnessing it at all. if ryan doesn’t want to do buddie because he feels its important they stay friends then so be it. platonic friendships between a queer man and straight man are important, especially one that runs so deep like buck and eddie’s. sure, their friendship could be read as romantic throughout the show, but partly because oliver and ryan truly share a great chemistry on screen which helps lean into it but also because these shows are not written with an endgame in mind. 9-1-1 is very much a go with the flow show, and if bucktommy is where the show is flowing then that’s what is meant to be. invisible string theory isn’t because ppl think it was always planned from the beginning, it’s because it’s amazing how well buck and tommy becoming a couple comes together so perfectly out of pure coincidence.

we know buck was supposed to be made queer long ago. we also know maddie originally was brought in for eddie but was put with chimney instead. if tim minear hadn’t left after s4 i truly think buddie could have been already established by now, but unfortunately that isn’t how things work. perhaps the idea of tommy and eddie was pitched but ultimately ryan didn’t agree it would work for these character nor the story being told at the time. buck was already supposed to be queer, so turning it to tommy and buck instead makes total sense.

no one is saying you aren’t allowed to continue to ship buddie. most ships in the world are ships that have never gone canon. buddie is valid even if it’s non-canon. god knows i will continue to read and write for them and enjoy them whilst also enjoying buck and tommy together. the behavior i’ve been seeing though is just weird, especially from larger creators who i understand are very passionate for buddie, but it’s weird when you flip it into tommy/lou hate instead of just talking about buddie itself.

perhaps the theories will be true. we don’t know! maybe buck and tommy won’t last and buddie will be endgame. i’m happy either way because buck’s sexuality is so important for him and at the current state of the show eddie is absolutely not ready for anything romantic because he’s still grieving shannon to a point where he is not ready to move on romantically just yet and we’re literally shown this. even if buddie is happening, it is not happening by the season finale nor is it probably happening by the beginning of s8 considering the current storylines and where they’ll be at by the end of this season. lou probably isn’t going anywhere and from the looks of it, we’ll probably be bumped up into a semi-regular character in s8 like karen. he’s easy to write into the plot, he’s got connections to people and emergencies outside of buck that would integrate him well into the plot. their romance is supposed to be “romcom” esque, they’re taking things slow but they’re obviously happy together at the moment.

im just really tired of the nasty attitudes ive been seeing. sure theres are som toxic people on both sides, but to me its obvious which side is being the bigger bully. reality checks needs to be put in place for some people, go outside and realize you are getting way too worked up over a tv show where plotlines are out of your control. if the show is ruined for you over one relationship then stop watching it.

[laundryandtaxesworld]

You'll be in my heart, from this day on

wc: 543 | ship: bucktommy | G | title from You'll be in my heart by Phil Collins | please don't repost :)

Buck held his breath. There she was, staring up at him with sea blue eyes, much like Tommy’s. 

Madeline Buckley-Kindard, born June 1st, 2028, 7 pounds and 6 ounces.  

Lost in admiring his newborn daughter, he had yet to see Tommy coming to greet him with coffee in his hands. 

“Hey babe. How’s it going?” Tommy handed Buck his coffee. 

“She’s perfect.” Buck smiled then glanced up at Tommy. 

“Just like her father.” Tommy kissed Buck’s cheek and went around to the other side of the bassinet. 

“Did you talk to Amy?” Buck gently stroked Madeline’s check. 

“Yeah, she’s doing well. Claud and the boys are with her now.” 

“Mhmm. Going to have so many cousins, aren’t you Madeline?” Buck whispered. 

—

Seven months as new parents, Buck and Tommy felt exhausted but fulfilled. It was a sunny day and the light was filtering through the windows of their apartment.

 Madeline was looking up at him from her tummy time. While Buck wasn’t required to watch anymore since she could get up off her stomach herself, he loved watching his baby explore the world. 

“You want to crawl to Papa?” Buck asked Madeline. Madeline cooed in response. He heard Tommy chuckle as he finished preparing dinner. 

“Oh shush,” Buck turned to look at his husband, “you love it when I ask her questions.” Tommy put his hands up in mock surrender. When Buck turned back to Madeline, he grinned. She was up on all fours and wobbly. 

“Babe, come here! I think she’s going to crawl!” Buck heard rustling, his eyes not leaving his seven month old. He felt a warmth on his back and reached back to grab Tommy’s hand. 

With bated breath they waited. Time seemed to stretch on for hours but couldn’t have been more than a minute when Madeline moved her arms and legs in a crawl towards her fathers.

—

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you Madeline! Happy birthday to you!” Everyone cheered while the three of them blew out Madeline’s candle.

 Buck smiled as Madeline smashed into her smash cake and Tommy cut the second cake for everyone else.

 He couldn’t believe it had been a year since he saw that precious face living and breathing for the first time.

 A year and nine months  since he became a father and his world was finally complete. He finally got to be the father he never had. 

A piece of chocolate cake was suddenly thrust into his view as arms wrapped around his waist. 

“A penny for your thoughts?” 

“They’re not worth that much.” 

“Anything you have is worth more than a penny.” Tommy whispered in Buck’s ear. Buck shivered. 

“I was thinking about my father,” Buck whispered back, “How I don’t remember him doing anything for me unless I was hurt. I don’t want that for her.” Buck peeked at Tommy who looked thoughtful. 

“She won’t have to get hurt for you to love her,  Evan. Because you love so much and so big that all the people who you save and even strangers feel it. She’ll never know what it’s like to have the absence of love, because you’re her father.” 

Buck blinked back tears and fully settled into Tommy’s arms as he watched his family.

[chevelleneech]

‘bucktommy shippers are moving to ody3. awful news for the fandom when they decide avery’s getting in the way of their fated m/m ship’ …as if buddie shippers aren’t the ones who have displayed disgusting behaviour towards both buck and eddie’s past female love interests, not to mention the aggressiveness and violence they displayed against buck’s male love interest. I don’t think bucktommy shippers are going to be the problem here.

I have been vocal about both BuckTommy and Buddie shippers acting an ass, actually, so this isn’t the gotcha you think it is. I mean, I’ve argued plenty with people about how the actress who played Marisol being questionably awful didn’t mean she deserved to be treated the way she was. Particularly when Ryan Gúzman kept his job in the show, despite his actions as well.

However, BT are right now currently claiming 9-1-1 and Oliver are biphobic, claiming the show sacrificed God tier queer rep (ignoring Henren), and calling for Oliver to be fired all because a side character who has a racist and misogynistic past, played by an actor with the same, ended his run on the show.

This ain’t about ships, it’s about the people who love LFJ for literally no reason other than portraying a gay character in a minor role, leaping to the next queer ship they can find as some sort of cancellation prize.

That said, a large many of BT shippers claim to have been Buddies, so you’re talking about the same group of people. You can’t separate former Buddies from current Buddies just because you want to defend BT fans. The same folks who were harassing actresses left and right in “defense” of Buddie going canon, are some of the same people who jumped ship to support BT, and are now the same people “defending” LFJ.

The ven diagram is a circle, so no, I do not want BT shippers moving to Ody3, because aside from them being misogynistic and willing to let racism slide so long as it means being racist toward someone they don’t like (Aka them saying Ryan should have offed himself, yet they’re fine with LFJ and Tommy’s actions), they’re also revisionists. They claim things happened in 9-1-1 that in fact did not, and I do not want to see the inevitable revising of saying Max and Avery never worked or whatever.

And to be clear, I do understand that fandom as a whole is a pretty toxic place to be, but BuckTommy shippers are blatant liars. They have fully rewritten Tommy’s importance within the 9-1-1 universe, sidelined Hen, Karen, Michael, David, and Josh’s relevance as queer characters, and are currently claiming Oliver Stark — a man who has been nothing but happy to portray Buck as bi — is being a biphobic clout chaser for not “protecting” a fictional character that isn’t even his own’s, existence on the show. They are telling a man to “finish the job” in reference to his suicide attempt, because they didn’t want the FICTIONAL CHARACTER he plays on tv to ruin their ship. They accuse Buddies of demanding fan service, yet are petitioning to have Tommy reinstated in the show, and demanding Tim Minear listen. They are accusing the cast of being bullies because LFJ didn’t get a tear jerking send off.

Yes, the way women are treated across the board in fandoms spaces is awful, and should continue to be called out. Which it is, but to act as if BT shippers aren’t and haven’t been awful people this entire time as well, is straight up bullshit, and no other fandom needs that energy. BT fans are seeking a queer ship to latch onto, not a romantic ship to enjoy. They want to see Tristan and Max fuck, not watch Ody3 blossom, and I’m not going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Not when they’ve shat the bed so horribly just because a RECURRING CHARACTER with not even sixty minutes of screen time, was written off.

[rdng1230]

I don’t know if you want a real answer so please feel free to ignore if you don’t. This will in no way contain any buddie bashing, this is just me trying to explain what I like about bucktommy and why I’m willing to focus my attention on their relationship more, at least for the time being.

For me it’s a bunch of things. First off, I really really love buddie and I love their relationship and the family they’ve built together. They have lots of chemistry and a deep bond that I very easily could see becoming an official romantic relationship. Heck, if Buck didn’t have a partner who he genuinely likes, and Eddie wasn’t going off the deep end with the whole Kim thing, I would be actively rooting for them to go for it. Except, they just never have. You can put that down to buck’s rejection dysphoria or Eddie’s trauma and romantic commitment phobia or a whole bunch of external reasons, but despite 5+ years of that relationship, neither of them has made a move to push it forward. It’s not that I think buddie is purely platonic, I DEFINITELY DO NOT, it’s just that I don’t know what at this point would cause one of them to take the romantic leap when like, 4 near death experiences and granting custody of his literal child didn’t cut it, you know?

I do think it is sad that buddie has thus far failed to recognize what is right in front of them. They could have an epic romantic love. And I’m totally not against them having it in the future if for one reason or another tommy and Buck don’t work out and Eddie gets it together with his lingering issues. But I don’t love them so much that I think both of them should close themself off from potential partners who show genuine interest and compatibility with them in the meantime if they’re gonna continue to not make a move. Sometimes that’s life, there’s lots of love but it just never pans out, and you can’t stay stuck in that love that isn’t going anywhere.

I think so much of why I love Buck and Tommy comes down to what Buck wrote in his letter to Abby upon leaving her apartment “I will always love you, but I do know that I am done waiting” for me, Tommy is the guy that isn’t going to make Buck wait any longer. In the same way his residual feelings about Abby didn’t prevent Buck from falling in love with Eddie (and I do think he fell in love with Eddie), buck’s residual feelings for Eddie isn’t stopping him from falling in love with Tommy (maybe they’re not full on in love yet, but that boy is crushing HARD). Anywho, once Buck comes out and says “I wanted your attention” Tommy kisses him nearly instantaneously. (Btw I fully acknowledge opinions vary a lot on the whole “Tommy’s vs. Eddie’s attention thing, even i think it’s a bit of both.)

You’re absolutely right, we haven’t seen a lot of Buck and Tommy together, but they seem to genuinely like each other and show up for each other, can’t stop smiling around one another, and most crucially COMMUNICATE with each other when they get it wrong ( “I wanted to clear the air and say that was never my intention”, “no bad blood just bad behavior”, “I think you’re adorable, I just don’t think you’re ready”, “clearly there’s a lot we don’t know about each other and I would like to change that”, “you already know that I’m interested”, “I know that I’m ready for something and I think that something could be with you”) they’re just so refreshingly OPEN specifically about a desire for a romantic attachment between them, and for me it’s what draws me to them. There’s no jumping into bed like with Taylor, there’s no ethical issue of having rescued her or fear about the danger of buck’s job like there was with Ali. Buck gets so nervous about abandonment and being too much, and here comes Tommy “down to go to a family wedding as a second date, wants to teach this boy how to fly a damn helicopter” Kinard ready to show Buck what being courted really feels like. Even when the dates themselves aren’t necessarily shown, reading between the lines tells me things are good with them. Like Bobby says, I know they’re doing well “because we haven’t had to talk about it”

my mind also returns to the old couple Buck was so impacted by. “You don’t find love like that you make it” it is undeniable that Buck and Eddie love each other and have built a life together, but they haven’t built a romantic commitment with one another whereas Tommy and Buck are building one right now. I think every person has a lot of people they are capable of building a great love with, but that only happens when one of them makes the leap. Buck and Tommy have, Buck and Eddie haven’t. For me I like the construction Buck and Tommy have already started on, more than I am attached to the “maybe someday” potential of Buck and Eddie’s. But that is very much changeable based on future events.

Maybe I wasn’t the right person to respond because I haven’t fully jumped ship on buddie. But I hope this kinda clears up where some of the bucktommy people are coming from. Buck’s relationship with Tommy is just exactly the kind I’ve been wanting for him. Someone solid, open about their intentions, genuinely smitten with him, and doesn’t keep him guessing. That to me is Tommy, and that’s why I really hope those two get a fair shot.

I understand the love for bucktommy in relation to allowing Buck to finally embrace the part of him he hadn’t really known was there. It’s a monumental moment for him.

But I don’t understand the love for them in that so many people seem to regard them as an amazing couple. We’ve barely seen them together. I don’t feel like we really have that much to go on.

This isn’t shaming anyone for that ship, I just find it a little confusing because they’ve been seen together barely more than when Buck was with Ali.

I think I mostly find it confusing when people throw Buddie away in favor of Bucktommy. I just don’t really get it because Buddie has now six seasons of love and build up and being each others family.

[inawickedlittletown]

You Can Find Me Where the Skies are Blue (BuckTommy fic) -6/7

Summary:

Soulmates are rare. So rare that it's actually incredible that Buck has two soulmate couples in his life. Statistics tell him it's very unlikely for him to meet his soulmate. Of course, then he meets Tommy. Too bad it happens at the worst possible moment.

Canon compliant soulmate AU where Buck is still a mess and Tommy is still very understanding.

Words: 4,050

Ao3

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

-

Part Six

“This is…it’s a platonic bond, isn’t it?”

Tommy heard the words, and they strangled something inside him. He knew what he’d said to Lucy, how he’d tried to tell himself that of course that was all it was. Even Eddie, earlier stating that Buck wasn’t gay was something he carried with him. Evan wasn’t into men. It wasn’t something that even a soulmate bond could change. 

“If that’s what you want it to be,” Tommy said. 

Evan nodded. He was still a little flushed pink from earlier, it made the birthmark over his eye stand out even more. It was such a distinctive thing to catch on his face, Tommy thought he would look strange without it. 

“There aren’t a lot,” Buck admitted. “But it does happen. These two girls on instagram…they run a podcast, actually, they met when one of them married the other’s brother and they’re soulmates. And there are other examples…people do it. Your most important relationship doesn’t have to be romantic. I mean…then you can date whoever you want and so can I. Not that it’s ever gone very well for me, but what I’m saying is that you can still have a girlfriend. Or…or a wife. Kids. It won’t stop us from being soulmates.” 

Tommy laughed. Evan looked so earnest, but in his eyes was something else that told Tommy a lot of it was Evan just being brave. That was yet more to be impressed by when it came to Evan. There was no denying he was a lucky man to have him as a soulmate. 

“That’s all very nice, Evan, but I’m not going to have a girlfriend. Or a wife.” He couldn’t help but chuckle again. 

Evan frowned. It was cute. It was really unfair how cute this man was. It wasn’t even like he was that much smaller than Tommy, though he was less broad. He still carried a lot of muscle, his short sleeved shirt straining where the sleeves ended. Somehow, he still managed to be cute. 

“What?” Evan asked. “What’s funny?” 

“I’ve been told I pass for straight,” Tommy said. “I never knew if it’s because I felt I needed to hide that part of myself for a long time, or because I was never going to fit the stereotype. I’m gay, Evan. So if anything, it’s a boyfriend. Husband…I don’t know.”

“You’re gay,” Evan said in a soft whisper. 

“Yeah,” Tommy said. 

Evan was…well, he was everything that Tommy ever really did look for in a romantic partner. Maybe there was something to it when it came to soulmates. He remembered thinking that Evan was attractive right off the back, and the few interactions they had shared so far had endeared him to Tommy. He was interested, and maybe in the right circumstance like if they met at a bar, maybe Tommy would have asked him out. 

“So,” Evan said and the blush was back, “you would be interested in this being a romantic bond? I mean, you…am I someone you could be attracted to? Not that…I’m an ally. I’ve always been an ally. I post a rainbow every June and I love Hen and Karen. And Josh…he works with Maddie. I have no problem with you being gay or — or gay people in general. It’s great. Men are great. So are women. I’m into women…although, who doesn’t check out a hot guy? Like at the gym…or at the park or just out and about. But I’m straight, it’s only ever been women for me and maybe they weren’t the best choices…I mean Taylor wrote that book and Abby ran off without even breaking up with me so maybe women aren’t the way to go or…I don’t know, but you kno—”

Tommy couldn’t watch it go on any longer. Evan talked with his hands, they moved in a distracting but fidgety way. He leaned forward and caught one of his hands between his own. Evan gasped and he tripped over his last word.

“Evan, there is a lot to unpack there.” 

Evan gulped. Evan’s fingers were callused, but the back of his hand was softer. He could feel where old scars remained on his skin too. He wanted to know about how the rest of him felt, what the job had marred and changed and left marked. 

“Do you want some water? Maybe something stronger?” Tommy asked. 

“Uh…yeah…there’s beer in the fridge.” 

Tommy stood up, felt the loss of no longer touching Evan as he rounded the island and headed to Evan’s fridge. There wasn’t much inside but a six pack of beer did sit front and center. He grabbed two. When he returned to Evan, it did look like he’d regained some of his composure, but he was still very very pink. It was beautiful. Tommy could watch him forever. 

Their fingers brushed when Tommy handed over the beer and Evan gasped. Tommy didn’t know what he was seeing. He was still trying to process the word salad that had come out of Evan. Had he said he checked out guys? And he did ask if Tommy was attracted to him, of that Tommy was sure. That needed to be addressed at once. 

“For the record, Evan, I am definitely attracted to you,” Tommy said. 

It was a bit of a gamble. He wanted to know how Evan would respond. He hadn’t thought that Evan could get any redder, but apparently he could and Tommy wondered how far down that might go. It was a train of thought he had to shake off. Tommy watched him as he opened his beer and took a few sips, keeping his eyes trained on the bottle or away from Tommy. It gave Tommy more room to just watch him. It meant that he caught Evan’s gaze when he finally looked up. 

“That shouldn’t shock you,” Tommy added. “Any girl or guy would be into you.” 

“Into me,” Evan whispered. “You — you’re saying you would want this to be romantic.” 

Tommy shook his head. “No, Evan. I’m saying that you’re not hard to look at. That shouldn’t be surprising to you.”

Evan stared at him. His lips twitched as if they were trying to form a smile, but they were unsure. 

“You, um, you too,” Evan said, dropping his gaze and blushing again. 

Oh, what he would do to be able to kiss that heated skin…what he would do to see Evan’s skin go pink for other reasons. 

“Me too?” Tommy asked and he couldn’t keep the shock from his voice. 

“You know what you look like,” Evan said, complete with a scoff. 

Tommy chuckled. “Evan, tell the truth, am I on that list of hot guys you’ve checked out?” 

His answer was written all over his face. Not just the blush, but the way that he couldn’t look at Tommy and how he turned away and then drank a big gulp of his beer. It was absolutely adorable and it also left Tommy with something to work with because despite what Evan might say, he was definitely not entirely straight. Tommy didn’t want to hope and yet he couldn’t tamp it all the way down. 

—

Tommy was gay.

It kept coming back in his head…a thought that wouldn’t go away and that maybe hadn’t even sunk in fully. He was gay. Gay as in into men. Gay as in attracted to Buck. It was somehow not at all what Buck had been expecting and maybe that was a bit his fault, for projecting what he expected a gay man to be like. Sort of like Josh who would never be able to deny his sexuality. 

It made Buck think. Well, a lot of it made Buck think. Mostly, it made him ignore all of the things that he’d thought he’d already figured out about their soulmate bond. Buck had been so sure it had to be platonic. But maybe he was wrong and maybe he was wrong about other things because he had eyes and even as he’d proposed the idea that Tommy could date women, he’d felt an uncomfortable churn in his gut. 

“You okay there?” Tommy asked. 

“I’m — yes.”

“Are you sure about that, Evan?” 

Tommy called him Evan. He’d been calling him Evan pretty much since they met and Buck had never wanted to tell him that actually everyone called him Buck. Buck had started back in the fire academy, a way to differentiate from the other Evans and it wasn’t that it stuck like a nickname, but that he became Buck. Buck was a firefighter, he was more than just the boy that had no idea what he wanted. Buck was brave. He found a place to belong. Buck was so many things that Evan wasn’t. When Maddie called him Evan, she said it in the tone that she’d used when he was kid and she was looking out for him. When his parents said it, it was like nails on a chalkboard the very disapproval they had always felt for him coming through way too clearly. 

With Tommy, Evan was something else. It was soft. It was gentle. It was fond. It was literally warm. He wanted to hear his name said like that for as long as possible. 

“I’m okay,” Buck responded a bit stronger. “I just didn’t — didn’t expect you to be into guys, I guess.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Tommy said with a chuckle. “Your, um, your ramble was very informative.” 

Buck dropped his chin, cringing a little. He didn’t even know what he’d said because words had just been coming out as he thought them until Tommy stopped him as if Buck could be stopped from embarrassing himself. 

“I am so sorry,” Buck said. 

“I’m not. It was adorable,” Tommy said. 

When Buck looked up, he found Tommy was still just watching him. Watching him like Buck was worth looking at. He hadn’t liked the idea of Tommy dating women or marrying some woman, he liked it even less to think that Tommy could date another guy. Not when…well, Buck was his soulmate and he was right there. 

“Do you think I’ve been wrong this whole time?” 

“About what?” Tommy asked. 

“About me,” Buck said. “I’ve always…there’s always been something missing.”

He had thought it was Daniel. When he finally had all that information, the thing that finally made him understand why his parents had never been very present, he’d thought that maybe that was it. But, though it explained some things, it didn’t explain others. 

“Evan, I can’t—”

“Can we…can I try something?” Buck said, cutting him off. 

Buck set his bottle down, wiping his hands on his jeans and then standing. 

“Try something?” Tommy asked. 

Buck rubbed the back of his neck, tried to shake off the nerves, but they wouldn’t go away. This should not be this hard. 

“Yeah, um, maybe come here?” 

It felt like an age between a bemused Tommy standing and walking towards Buck. Buck gulped. They were about the same height and yet Tommy felt taller. Buck didn’t know how to explain it, maybe it was because Buck was used to being taller in this type of situation. 

“Can I…this will sound crazy, but it’s the only thing I think will clear things up for me? I mean, maybe you don’t want to do this and I can understand, but—”

Tommy’s fingers made contact with his chin sending a jolt through him as he tipped Buck’s face up minutely just as Tommy leaned forward. He moved as if in slow motion, giving Buck every chance to pull away and change his mind. Somehow, it was still a shock when Tommy’s lips touched his, but Buck leaned into it, he felt the heat between them and the way that just a quick brush of Tommy’s lips on Buck’s lips could light him up. He kissed back because he wanted it, and because Tommy had to know. It didn’t last nearly as long as it should have, but what it did was answer questions in a way that words never would have been able to. 

One of his hands fluttered, reaching for Tommy, but Tommy pulled back too soon and Buck had to drop his hand. His whole world…it was shifting and Buck didn’t mind. He’d been put together a little jumbled, but everything was falling into place. 

“Was that okay?” Tommy asked, voice low. 

“Yeah,” Buck said. “More than okay.” 

“Good,” Tommy said. 

It wasn’t that it was different from kissing a woman. Maybe it was a little bit different, Tommy had a bit of facial hair and that felt different, but everything else…lips were still lips…but those lips belonged to Tommy. They belonged to his soulmate. And there was no denying that for a kiss so chaste, he was left more than a little flustered. 

“Good?” Buck asked. 

Tommy smiled wider. “Did you answer that question, Evan?” 

Buck chuckled nervously. “Maybe we’ll need to test that, you know for — for science?” 

Tommy laughed, and there was something just gorgeous about the depth of his laugh lines, how it changed his face. And, oh, his chin had a cleft. This was his soulmate. He’d kissed his soulmate. He wasn’t even freaking out…more like he was relieved. More than anything, he wanted to kiss him again. 

So, he did. 

—

Tommy almost didn’t expect it when Evan kissed him. How one of his hands wound up on his neck and Evan’s lips brushed on his own almost gently but with just enough pressure that it was something of a tease. And then, Evan deepened it and Tommy matched him, bringing him closer and parting his lips as Evan’s tongue darted out to meet his in a slow sweet slide that brought out a moan Tommy almost felt embarrassed by. 

As Evan eased back on the kiss, he chuckled and they panted against each other, Evan’s fingers traveling to the back of his neck and leaving a trail of warmth everywhere he touched. 

“Just, uh, needed to check,” Evan said. 

Tommy let out a small chuckle, he dropped his head to Evan’s shoulder and he felt Evan’s fingers in his hair, a gentle touch to his scalp. How had they made it from a question about them being platonic, to this? Not that he was complaining. 

“Verdict?” 

“May need more data,” Evan said, smiling. 

Tommy turned his head, breathed against Evan’s neck and felt Evan shiver.

“Tommy,” Evan whispered. 

Tommy pressed a kiss to his neck and then a little higher, to his jaw. He heard Evan gasp and he smiled against his scruffy cheek. 

“Is that enough?” 

“Nope,” Evan said, capturing his lips in yet another kiss. 

Tommy had kissed plenty of people. A few girls when he was a teenager, kisses that meant absolutely nothing. Then there had been boys at gay bars or clubs under the strobe lights or in the dimly-lit bathrooms. Kisses that served a single purpose, a prelude to getting off with a warm body that could be forgotten in a few hours or by morning. Tommy had been finding himself and sometimes he regretted how he’d rushed in without much care for what it might do to him. Eventually had come different kisses, the ones at the end of a date, the ones that didn’t lead anywhere. Hello kisses, and goodbye kisses, and heated ones too. Any and all of those experiences would forever be eclipsed by the way Evan kissed him. 

There was something to be said about enthusiasm, but there was more. Evan was a fantastic kisser. He knew just when to push for more and when to pull back and how to have Tommy chasing his touch and his lips and his tongue. By the time they were panting against each other again, foreheads pressed together, Tommy knew he was ruined for anyone else. Then again, maybe that’s how it was supposed to be with your soulmate.

“Evan, that was—”

“Yeah,” Evan said. “I think I have everything.” 

“For the science experiment?” Tommy asked. 

Evan made a sound that was almost a giggle. “For the soulmate experiment. It’s not platonic at all.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Evan said completely with a goofy grin and skin gone pink. 

“You know what that means, Evan?” 

Evan tilted his head. “What?”

“So much more kissing.” 

Their noses brushed as Evan went for another kiss, keeping that one languid and lazy. Soft. 

—

The door closed behind Tommy with a click. Buck wanted to pull it open and call Tommy to come back, but he held himself back. His fingers traveled to his lips where Tommy had placed one last kiss before he left. It had been a peck, barely even a kiss, but it was like some reminder of all the kisses that had come before. Buck had kissed his soulmate.

Buck had kissed his soulmate. His soulmate who was a guy. A guy who found Buck attractive. A guy who Buck wanted to kiss again and again and maybe even so much more. 

All the confusion, the surety that what they could have could only ever be platonic, it almost made Buck laugh. He just…he hadn’t known. Except he’d been aware of the draw that Tommy had on him, and like he’d told Tommy it wasn’t like he’d never looked at a guy and thought he was hot. Buck had just assumed it was normal and that everyone checked out men and women alike. Not that it was abnormal, it was just…it was just that Buck wasn’t straight. He was more than the ally he’d always said he was.

The weird part was feeling like he should have known…like he’d somehow been lying to himself his whole life because it was something that was obvious and that would have prepared him to have a male soulmate.

It was after he’d gone through his bathroom routine and he’d made it up the stairs, that Buck allowed himself to say it outloud. 

“I’m bisexual.” 

It felt right. It felt like him. It felt more freeing than anything ever had before. 

“I’m bisexual,” he repeated it to his ceiling while lying in bed. 

Sleep came easy and the next morning, he was woken up by his phone vibrating on his bedside table. 

He grabbed for it, answering the call without bothering to look at the ID. 

“Hello?” 

“Would it be presumptuous of your soulmate to ask you out for breakfast?” Tommy’s voice came through. 

Buck sat up at once. His duvet pooled at his waist. “Tommy,” he said. 

“Evan,” Tommy said and he said it in that tone of his, the one so full of fondness and warmth. 

“Breakfast? Uh…yeah, I can do that.” 

Tommy chuckled. “Okay. Good. I’ll pick you up in twenty.” 

“Oh. Uh. Sure. Sure.” 

Buck heard him laughing again before hanging up. 

Used to getting ready quickly, Buck rushed down to his bathroom and into the shower. Ten minutes later he was out with a towel around his waist, rubbing himself dry as he took the stairs to grab clothes. The knock on his door came before he’d gotten a chance to put any product in his hair or for that matter shoes. So barefoot, he walked down to open the door. 

Tommy stood on the other side, smiling. Sunglasses hung from the neck of his v-neck, giving Buck a good look at his clavicle, but also the hint of dark chest hair that likely went down farther and that Buck wanted to suddenly know a lot more about. 

“Hi, Evan,” Tommy said and opened his arms. 

Buck stepped into the hug, lingering for a few moments too long.

“You ready?” 

“Oh. No. Just need shoes and my wallet and keys and…”

Tommy just chuckled. “I would say I’m gonna sit on your couch, but you don’t have one. But, take your time.” 

“It really bothers you,” Buck said as he headed up the stairs.

“Not really. Just curious.” 

“I’ll tell you over breakfast,” Buck called back. 

He didn’t take long to get himself ready. Tommy hadn’t sat down while he was busy, instead wandering around the small space and even out onto the balcony. That’s where Buck found him, and he turned as Buck approached. His hands were in his jean pockets, and he looked fully relaxed. It was unfair, how hot he was. 

—

Tommy did think that it would have been a bit much to tell Evan he’d missed him. That as soon as he left the night before, he’d longed to be back with him. He had, though, and seeing him open the door like he’d only just finished getting dressed, it had hit him again how ridiculously attractive Evan was. Also, curls. Evan kept his hair short, and maybe dry and brushed it was more wavy than properly curly, but at the half-dry state it was in at the moment, the curls were defined and Tommy thought it made him look younger and even cuter if possible. Oh, he was already so far gone for him. 

While Evan ran back upstairs to finish getting ready, Tommy walked through the apartment. There wasn’t much to it, it was very much the kind of place that belonged to a single guy, but he hadn’t been lying when he said he was impressed because it was actually really nice. 

He found a door that led out to a small balcony. It wasn’t big or anything, but Evan did have a couple of chairs out there and Tommy could imagine just sitting there with Evan with the sun setting. Evan found him out there. 

“Hey,” Evan said.

“This is nice,” Tommy said. 

“I think it’s one of the reasons I really liked this place. Breakfast you said?” 

“I did,” Tommy said. “I woke up this morning and I really just wanted to see you again.” 

Evan blushed. “You did?” 

“Of course. Do you know how difficult it was to know you were within my reach and yet it took days for us to talk. It’s why last night I wasn’t going to sit at a bar when I knew where you were. I guess you could say I’m a little impatient.” 

Evan moved closer and while his blush never left his cheeks, neither did his smile. When his hands landed on Tommy’s shoulders, Tommy almost didn’t expect them, but he took his own hands out of his pockets to take Evan by the waist. 

“I said it yesterday,” Evan said. “I was jealous. I don’t think I realized what that meant…why I was feeling that way. Maybe I was a little impatient too.”

“Evan,” Tommy whispered. 

Evan kissed him. Tommy could do nothing but respond, because Evan was everything and he kissed Tommy like it mattered, like there was nothing more important. It wasn’t even a very passionate kiss, the type that led to other things, and yet it felt more intimate than anything Tommy had ever felt before. And when Evan ended the kiss, smile growing and his hands running down Tommy’s chest until they fell away, Tommy could see that Evan’s eyes were shining. 

“What is it?” Tommy asked. 

“I’m just happy. And I think you promised breakfast.” 

“I did,” Tommy said, drawing him in closer, Evan’s hands trapped between them. “After all, I wanted our first date to be right away.” 

“Date,” Evan said in little more than a surprised, but pleased whisper.

Evan’s hands were climbing up Tommy’s chest in a way that was far too distracting especially when his fingers hit bare skin right where Tommy’s shirt ended. His touches were tentative, almost like a tease. 

“Date,” Tommy repeated. “One of many.”

Evan grinned at him. He was simply adorable. One of his hands was touching Tommy’s neck, leaving behind a trail of electricity and then his hand climbed up to Tommy’s jaw, touched the corner of his lips and then the cleft on his chin. Holding Tommy’s chin he pecked his lips, a very soft and very quick kiss. 

Tommy couldn’t attribute it to their soulmate bond, or he couldn’t just attribute it to that. It was Evan and Tommy was just that lucky to call him his soulmate. 

When they left Evan’s apartment it was hand in hand, sharing smiles every time their eyes met.

-

Final Part

[chevelleneech]

I do agree with anon that I don’t think they had much planned for the sexuality arcs this season, because of how it all fell apart then came together. At the same time, I think people aren’t thinking clearly about how writing a tv show works.

Based on what we know and how I can picture it having played out, Buck and Lucy were meant to get together while Eddie figured his relationship out with Marisol. — Tim already said he didn’t want to write both women out the show, and since the actress playing Natalia chose not to return and they didn’t have plans for her character anyway, she was the one to go and he was essentially forced to write a storyline for Marisol. He also stated he didn’t know what to do with her, but when a writer jokingly pitched something about her being a nun, he liked it and decided to see what they could do with it.

As such, no, Eddie was not meant to be queer this season. Both he and Buck were going to be written in heterosexual relationships again, with Buck and Lucy likely becoming endgame since she’s a character who has been around for a while and all they needed to do was write her a backstory.

When Arielle returning didn’t happen, Tim then decided to present the storyline where Buck comes out. Now, I think it’s jumbled at this point of where Tommy fit in, because multiple things have been said. Lou said Tommy was initially supposed to kiss Eddie, but as far as I recall, he did not say Eddie was going to be queer. We also learned Tommy and Eddie kissing didn’t work out for some reason, thus Tim asked Oliver if he’d be okay with Buck coming out. Keep in mind, Oliver (I think) and Tim both said Tim pitched the idea to Lou first.

Now pause on that, and move to Tim saying he wanted Buck to come out, but he didn’t want to write in a new character. He said a new character who wasn’t affiliated with the first responders was difficult to wedge in, which is why he believes Abby didn’t work as well as he intended in s1. Which I’m assuming is why he planned for Lucy as well, even when Buck was likely going to still be straight. He had to pivot though, so he needed a new pilot (first responder to fill the slot) who was already written into the show. Tommy.

Back to Tommy and Eddie. I’m just spitballing now, but my hypothesis is that by this point, Tim already decided Buck was going to come out. He just didn’t know who with. I think choosing Tommy was because he planned for it to go like this: Tommy comes back to save the day and starts hanging out with Eddie, Buck gets jealous over “losing” his friend, Tommy kisses Eddie assuming he’s into men, Eddie rejects him, Tommy leaves, Eddie tells Buck what happened or Buck saw it, then Buck proceeds to question his own sexuality.

Whether or not Buck was going to have feelings for Eddie or assume his jealousy was romantic, I do not know. They are incredibly tight-lipped about Buddie, so I am only guessing based on what we’ve been told. So I think Tommy was meant to kiss Eddie, sparking Buck’s confusion with his own sexuality, then Tommy was gonna be gone. I don’t recall Ryan saying a sexuality arc wouldn’t make sense for Eddie, but if he did, I still think it fits into what comes next.

Which is, EddieTommy fell through, forcing Tim to have to pivot again. And this is why Lou was asked if he’d be comfortable playing queer before Oliver, because Oliver and Lou were never intended to be queer on screen together. Again, this just me guessing based on how we got all this info.

So I think BuckTommy came about because Oliver and Lou both agreed to play queer characters, but Tim didn’t yet have a storyline for them to act out and he didn’t want to write in another girlfriend for Buck since he said himself he was tired of seeing it.

Tim also stated he didn’t settle down on queer Buck until 7x02/3, and Oliver said he didn’t know it was officially happening until 7x03. Aka a week or two in filming time, meaning there was no time to prep a fleshed out story. And since Marisol’s backstory was a joke pitch they chose to run with, it means Eddie also didn’t have much to do in 7a.

So I get where anon is coming from, but I also think a lot of Buddie shippers might be jumbling the info. Eddie was supposed to be kissed by Tommy, but I don’t recall anyone explicitly saying Eddie was supposed to struggle with Catholic guilt surrounding his sexuality. It could have very well always been about him struggling with Marisol being a nun, but there no way to know which storyline was pitched first. Although I’m assuming it was the nun, since it’s being said Buck kissing Tommy was pitched after 7x01 was filmed, and they already knew by then that Natalia wasn’t returning.

So I’m guessing Eddie was meant to be kissed by Tommy and find out Marisol was a nun all in one go, and both were going to mess with his head. Which would make sense in regard to his sexuality, but I do not see how it would make sense to keep Marisol around just to have Eddie realize he’s queer. Unless they planned to have him work through that then stay with her, because he still likes women.

Where Buck is concerned, I think him having a full blown coming out arc was planned after 7x01 by Tim, because again, he wanted to go there, but it wasn’t until episodes 2 and 3 were being filmed that Tim decided Tommy would kiss Buck. Like I said before, I’m thinking Buck was always going to be the one coming out once Tim knew Arielle wasn’t returning, which he likely would have gotten word about by 7x01 or 7x02. So with Lucy unable to return followed by Eddie and Tommy’s kiss not happening, Tim decided Buck and Tommy would explore an actual relationship, instead of it being just Buck exploring his queerness possibly because of him learning about or seeing Tommy kiss Eddie.

Thus, I think that is why episodes 7 and 8 were still being written, while 9 and 10 hadn’t been started come the hiatus, because they were still ironing out episode 6 (for those who don’t know, shows can still be getting edited up until the day before they’re aired, I’ve heard from show runners). And episode 6 is presumably the moment we’re going to see how Tim and the writers plan to develop Buck and Tommy, even if only a little.

Which to me means they couldn’t write BuckTommy until they decided what to keep and what to cut in 7x06. So 7 and 8 (which I’m sure are done now, lol) are dependent on them finally having settled on Buck and Tommy as a pair, and Lou not being in 8 and 9 doesn’t really mean much yet, because we won’t really know where things are going until the next episode.

Anyway, I hope this makes sense, and I hope people kept in mind this was just me guessing. I used all the info we got so far and created my own timeline, but I could be very very wrong, lol. It just doesn’t seem like Eddie was planned to be queer, since I don’t think anyone actually said that. It was just current canon catholic guilt, and a never-happened kiss from Tommy, but there’s no clear answer on if the two were ever going to happen together. We also know Buck was not planned to be bisexual, and that Marisol was not going to be written out once Natalia was, so there’s no reason to think Buddie was planned for this season either.

They could still happen, now that Tim had to restructure things, but I genuinely don’t think we’ll know until after 7x06. Because he had to finish writing the season, and that means he had to pick more backstory for Marisol, for Tommy, and decide how he wants both relationships to come across. All the while deciding how he wants to continue presenting Buck and Eddie as friends, and whether or not the unfolding of their romantic relationships will affect their bond.

Lastly, and I forgot to mention this, but I also think it’s very possible so much of 7x04 and 7x05 were vague in Buck’s actions and interestingly worded, purely because Tim hadn’t yet decided if the pivots he made with Buck coming out was going to result in Buddie. It may not, leaving the vagueness to simply be misdirect. Or there might finally be a nod in that direction, turning the vagueness into foreshadowing. Either way he has an out, and the next handful of episodes will likely answer the Will They, Won’t They question for good.

"I'm one of those who say that to have a future Buddie a Bucktommy is necessary, I think that everything is very planned basically because Eddie's possible coming out of the closet is going to be complex due to three reasons: his parents, his religious beliefs and his military past. Tim knows absolutely all this and I suppose he's aware that such a complex plot can't be developed in several episodes but requires time.

This season proves that they have nothing planned. It was Lucy who was supposed to come back, but the actress couldn't. Tommy was first planned for Eddie, but ended up with Buck. Bucktommy is literally accidental because the original plan fell through. In the original plan (eddietommy) Tim didn't give a shit that a romcom coming out in one episode didn't suit Eddie (parents, religious beliefs, military past). It was Ryan who said it didn't make sense for Eddie, so they passed it over to Buck. I really hope Eddie will have a coming out and we will have buddie. But I also see that they don't have anything planned and kinda go with the flow. And I think they need to hurry if they want to make buddie. Will Tim stay for s8? Or will he pass the show over to KR again and go back to Lonestar? In that case we can kiss a coming out for Eddie and buddie goodbye. My only hope is that something shifts in 710, both need to be single and a sign in the direction of buddie needs to happen. Otherwise we could end up with a missed opportunity 2.0 like the shooting, a repetition of s5 with unnecessary Tommy stuck for a whole second season like Taylor and KR in charge. Nightmare scenario.

I have a good feeling something WILL happen in 710 because of what Maddie said during Bucks coming out scene (to her)…

Maddie: “I don’t think you’re a fraud. I just think that maybe you’re not sure of your own feelings yet. And if there’s something you need to tell Eddie, you will. Just in your own time.”

There has to be a reason Tim wrote that for Maddie to say to Buck.