Eddie is thankful for every lover who let Buck go.
He used to hate them, admonish them, but if anyone of them had taken the time to really see Evan Buckley for everything he was then they would have held on a hell of a lot more tightly to him, and Eddie wouldn’t get to wake up next to him.
He wouldn’t get to kiss him goodnight or again the morning; wouldn’t get to love him between the sheets.
If just one person before him had the strength it took to patch up Buck’s wounds, he wouldn’t belong to Eddie now.
So, Eddie is thankful for the bruises and the scars they left behind, and thankful he was strong enough to stay.
Okay, so there's been a lot of posts about how Buck doesn't initiate physical contact and I've been thinking about this, because I made a post back at the beginning of season 7 when we suddenly had them casually touching when they didn't touch casually at all during season 6. And I have thoughts.
Okay, so for starters, this is only about touches where their lives aren't in danger, or it isn't about the job. Like, stuff like this doesn't count because it is a necessity, not a choice. I'm also not counting the hugs yet, since I wanna talk about Buck not touching Eddie. I'm also not counting them standing too close or the shoulder bumps just because of the lack of intention on the shoulder bumps if Ryan is to be believed and it's all a consequence of Oliver not being able to walk in a straight line lol.
But the thing is, they don't really touch all that much from s3 to 6 (rip 66 episodes without a hug, that was rough) outside of the ndes.
Okay, so, they have quite a few casual touches in season 2, it's the season with the most casual touches, it's 10 touches total. Buck initiates the first fist bump, then we get 203 when he taps Eddie to get his attention, same in 204, then the spiderman routine side hug in 214. But after 214, it's basically just Eddie initiating contact until the bachelor party.
Eddie taps Buck with the thingie before the ambulance, he starts the handshake, there a blink and you missed it moment where he pats Buck's back in 204, he grabs Buck's shoulder in 208, he starts the fistbump in 210, and then in 214, after the woman comes back to life and they are consoling Hen, Eddie also grabs Buck shoulder.
But then in season 3, we have the shoulder grab in 303, and that's it.
But we do have 2 moments in 318 where they hover but don't really make contact, which is endlessly fascinating because, why wouldn't you make contact in these moments??
Season 4 has... nothing. I mean, the crossover has 2, but the crossover doesn't count, but again, it's just Eddie.
Season 5 only has the 501 shoulder touch.
And then season 6 has this. Eddie is trying to lean on Buck, but Buck needs them to shift their attention to Hen. I don't know if I can call any of this casual tho, Eddie has several broken ribs, and people are dying, so unclear.
So technically, we have 14 touches and Eddie is responsible for 10 of them lol.
But then season 7 has a lot of them again. 5 from Eddie, the shoulder grab and the tap in 701, the tap in 702, the shoulder grabs in 705 and 706.
And 4 from Buck, the tap about the sliders, the way he's all over Eddie at the karaoke place while drunk, the jumping after that, and the thumb thumb thumb.
Then s8 we have a lot of fist bumps, and Buck still only initiates one. The 801 one seems like a shared braincell thing, but the other 2 have Eddie offering his hand.
And then we have the evil shoulder grab lol
But the thing is, we also have stuff like this. And the way Buck continues to hover but never initiate contact himself.
And it's interesting when you look at the hugs. Because it's always Eddie going in.
Sure, 301 and 810 are a little grey on that point, 301 because Buck is going toward the group and is the first person there, meeting him in the middle, but the thing is actually 810. They are shifting awkwardly and Buck does open his arms, but Eddie is once again the one to close the gap. And because Buck was IN THERE.
And the way Buck is all over Eddie when he's drunk and how he melts into Eddie in 810, is fascinating when you look at the way Buck just doesn't touch Eddie unless he has to. Because it makes it clear that Buck wants it. And it's not like Eddie ever denied him. Eddie is happy as a clam with Buck trying to climb on his lap at the bachelor party. He will lean into Buck, he will grab him, he will tap him, he's in there. But Buck keeps the space between them. And that's fascinating.
Like, Buck, babe, what are you afraid is gonna happen if you touch him too much? Anyway, much to consider.
An additional thing, we have 2 blurry boyfriends touching situations, 201, 614, one is Eddie, the other is Buck, but well, we can never know how much of this isn't just ryliver goofing around in the background, so I made the decision to not add to this.
That's all, as always, if you read this, I love you 🫶.
