ok i'm thinking, soulmate trope but make it messy. in my 'verse your soulmate is basically the person you will be most emotionally attached to for life, and that bond doesn't break until the moment of death, and only the person you are soulmates with knows about the bond
Buck and Eddie become soulmates after Shannon dies , but Buck never did feel anything romantic towards Eddie and vice versa, but they're like 'okay yeah we're entangled forever, it's cool, we're bros"
and then Buck dies for 3 minutes and 17 seconds
and when he wakes up, the soulmate bond with Eddie is gone. he's alone without a soulmate again. but the thing is, Eddie doesn't seem to notice that the bond is gone, and Buck wonders ifit's only him that doesn't feel it, and there isn't much in literature or research that tells him if a bond can only go one way, but it's been hinted at here and there
cue the appearance of one Tommy Kinard and suddenly Buck feels the bond again. but every time Tommy is around, so is Eddie, and Buck is like, is this the old bond with Eddie or is this new? (hint: it's new, and Buck feels tethered again and whole and happy)
then Tommy gets insecure and jealous because Eddie and others from the 118 talk about the soulmate bond between Eddie and Buck often, and even jokes to Tommy that he must feel like a third wheel, and Buck tries to explain that no he doesn't have that bond with Eddie anymore, he died, the bond died too, but Tommy points out that clearly Eddie still feels it, and also, Buck is alive, that was just a temporary thing, how can he be sure that the bond is dissolved
cue big fight, break up, Buck moping and baking, and he finally asks Eddie if their solmate bond is still there, and Eddie is like, what do you mean OH what the fuck and Buck is all 'you mean you didn't realize' and Eddie's like 'i just assumed!!'
and just as they're getting into it, Buck feels the bond with Tommy snap. And then the tones sing out.
Bobby grabs Buck and sits with him. in the engine "It's LAFD's Air Ops."
"It's Tommy," Buck says, deadly certain, and he's holding himself together by sheer will and grit, and yes it is a chopper down in a neighborhood, and yes it's Tommy, and Hen and Chim have to force Tommy's heart to beat again
and Buck, over and over, senses the bond jolt to life and fall silent, each time they use the AED on Tommy, and he's channelling everything he feels for Tommy through the bond. It jumps to life and dies, three times.
The fourth time, Buck metnally grabs the soulmate bond and grips it the second it comes to life, and he holds it and holds it and holds it until they get to the hospital
long story short, Buck and Tommy bonded as soulmates four times over.
anyway. ramble. #crashthathelicpter