rg saying he tells his plants i love you is SOOOOO buck coded, and it got me thinking about buck, who started a garden in eddies backyard while he lived there and eddie, who has a notorious black thumb, so when buck moves out hes so worried hes going to kill it all (which is kind of a silly worry bc buck is over enough that its still getting the same level of attention from him but yknow eddie still worries about it anyways)
BUT. im thinking about one time eddie wakes up, and he doesnt find buck on the couch (bc he just crashed there since he was over so late the night before), but he does end up finding him in the backyard, tending to the plants. and eddies just leaning in his doorway, watching buck with a sleepsoft smile and he can hear buck talking to the plants and he ends up teasing buck about it a little, but buck is like it helps them eddie! they need a little bit of love too, it helps! and eddie just laughs and rolls his eyes and calls him ridiculous.
but then a couple days later, buck is not over, and eddie goes outside to check on the plants, give them a little water, and he ends up talking to them, just like buck said. it for sure starts as one of those like "this is so stupid. i sound so ridiculous, a grown man talking to his plants. you cant talk back. you dont even have ears to hear me. but... buck said...." a little huff and a shake of his head, fond. and so he does, just a little that first time.
and it sort of kind of just becomes a thing that he does. talking to his (buck's — their) plants.
and of course, the plants are the first ones that eddie tells he's in love with buck :)))
ALSOOOOOO the plants are how buck finds out too!! bc. eddie is out back, tending to them, talking to them, and he is, naturally, talking about buck — gushing about him more like. and hes telling them about something endearingly ridiculous buck did recently and at the end around another fond laugh he just goes "can you believe thats the man im in love with?" or something like that. and— what eddie DOESNT KNOW is that buck, who was very much NOT at his house when he went out to the backyard now IS very much at his house, but bc eddie is outside he didnt hear the front door, and he left the back door open too so he doesnt hear it creak either, which meannnnnns he HAS NO IDEA that buck has walked outside to say hello (and to also uno reverse tease eddie right back bc HAH!! youre talking to them too!! and you called me ridiculous for it!!) except as he quietly walks up behind eddie with his arms crossed and a smug little smirk growing on his face, thats when eddies words register and buck HEARS IT. HE HEARS EDDIE SAY HES IN LOVE WITH HIM. TO THE PLANTS.
and bucks cool just goes straight out the window and in trying to back up trips over a rock in the grass (which how did that even get there eddie why do you have rocks in your grass!?) and in trying to keep himself upright he alerts eddie to his presence and then eddie is whirling around with wide eyes and a 😲 surprised little mouth and hes like buck.... and bucks like 😲 right back and eddie doesnt even have to ask how much of that he heard bc like ALL OF IT is damning, literally any of it.
but instead of like freaking out about it (or instead of freaking out about it too bad bc there is like a split second of panic) eddie decides he doesnt want to deny it, he decides to just — embrace it. embrace the joy that these feelings bring him. embrace the love and let it flow freely!!
and buck just like doesnt even know what to DO with that so he like focuses in on completely the wrong part and hes like youre talking to my plants. and eddies like uh yeah, i am. and bucks like youre talking to my plants. youre talking to my plants. and eddie can obviously see that buck is flustered. his cheeks are pink and hes like flapping a hand a touch hysterically to get his point across and hes also very much still processing the Elephant in the Garden here which means he is not touching it yet, but thats okay bc eddie is a patient man and this is also kind of cute and hes like yeah, bud, you said it was good for them so and then he shrugs. and bucks eyes are kind of shining a little bit and he goes you called me ridiculous. to my face. you said— and you did it again! calling me ridiculous. you said it to my plants this time. just now and eddies biting back his smile and hes like mhm and then hes like i also told them youre my best friend. and my favorite person to be around. and, i dont know if you heard (and here he leans in a little bit, drops his voice, and he says that but he absolutely knows that buck heard but he has to say it again, this time where he can see bucks face when he does so he says) but i also told them that i love you. that im in love with you.
and then the plants get to witness their first kiss :)
and it is also v crucial to me that eddie is wearing gardening gloves (courtesy of buck of course) and they are covered in dirt (maybe he was pulling weeds or something) so when his hands come up to frame bucks jaw he toootally smudges dirt all over bucks face. 🥰
