there’s something to be said about jinx and detours and lucy being stationed with the 147, which was introduced in that episode as the firehouse that was washed away by the mudslide, and had their uniform stolen by the wannabe fireman with the literal hero complex in jinx.
you could claim the writers are just reusing a firehouse number but in the same season they station albert at the 133, kevin’s old firehouse? nah.
if i was more coherent i’d have something to say about oliver’s favorite episode being dumb luck, and something about an episode called hero complex but i’m still working it all out.
anyway if you all are still worked up I think those points are Interesting.
we are all COMPLETELY unhinged over a two second gif of a man crying and the back of a man’s head. this must look SO FUNNY to anyone not involved in this fandom
doing something a little different for fic recs this week and posting a roundup of a bunch of my favorite fics set during this fantastic season. some of these are repeats from past rec lists. just think of it as a double recommendation.
all past lists are found under the weekly fic rec tag!
Some Questions I Cannot Ask by thingsthatfly
| buddie | M | hurt/comfort, getting together | words: 14079 | complete |
"He hadn't considered this part when he quit. How working side by side every shift and hanging out during their aligned time off would turn into the occasional 45 minute lunch. How he would go from feeling Buck’s knee against his in the truck and his hands on his body to double check that his harness is done right to rarely seeing him, rarely touching him, and going home alone while Taylor moves in closer."
Eddie leaves the 118. Buck shows up to ask him to lunch. Everything is good, he made the right decision, and everything still hurts.
“There’s two of us,” Eddie says. “There’s two of them.”
Buck nods, following his line of thought. They could probably take them down if they wait until the right moment.
“There’s two—”
“Hey, Mitch. Do my eyes deceive me, or is this kid one and the same?”
The blond guy, Mitch apparently, smirks up at Eddie and flips a photo of Chris from his wallet to show him, then looks back at it and lets his gaze wander between the small photo and Buck’s phone. Eddie hasn’t seen Buck’s lock screen recently, but it’s not hard to guess what it is based on the other man’s words.
━━━
AKA a “what-if” fic in which Mitch and Dom assume that Buck is Christopher’s dad, too, and they use that to their advantage against Eddie
Give Me Fire (It'll Burn All Your Fear Away) by Princessfbi
Eddie frowned as Taylor’s voice flooded the cab of his truck.
“Taylor? How did you—”
“You have to get to Buck’s loft! It’s on fire!”
Eddie’s foot nearly jumped the gas. “What?”
“Buck’s building is on fire! I… the smoke was too bad and—” Taylor broke off with a harsh cough that sounded like it had been ripped out of her with claws leaving her with slashes along her throat. The light changed green and Eddie slammed on the gas, swerving in and around traffic as he raced to Buck’s place.
“Call 9-1-1!”
“We did! Eddie… Buck, he… I think he’s inside!”
we got ethical conflict taylor at the cost of arsonist lucy - but this is still one of my favorite fics with the concept.
a little unsteady by hopeintheashes
| gen | T | hurt/comfort | words: 2378 | complete |
Set post-5x10. So much has been turned upside down, but some things haven't changed.
It’s at a bar where they’d decided to get a drink after work. Eddie arrives a little after he does once he drops Christopher off at his aunt’s place and when he joins Buck at the table he pulls him into one of those casual, back-slapping kinds of hugs.
It’s nothing to write home about. It’s friendly, comfortable, but Eddie’s hands are warm on Buck’s back and for the briefest second Buck can feel Eddie’s smile imprinted against his shoulder before it’s over.
He puts it down to missing Abby that he finds himself thinking about it when he’s trying to fall asleep that night.
A look at how Buck and Eddie's physical relationship develops from season 2 to season 5 AKA the one with all the hugging.
dragged in dust (bathed in blood) by tkreyesevandiaz
Or, the aftermath of Eddie's decision, and what it means for his relationship with Buck.
ya filthy animals by mmtion
| gen - a bit of buddie | T | words: 14403 | complete |
With Eddie away dealing with his family in Texas, Buck makes the mistake of showing the movie Home Alone to Christopher the day before a shift, where he has to leave him, well, home alone. With Taylor.
Tarantulas, buckets of honey, and revelations ensue.
When Eddie left the 118, he promised Buck that nothing would change. But six weeks later, things were strained between them as Eddie tried to adjust to his new role at dispatch while Buck decided to take a major step forward in his relationship. After a series of revelations forced Buck and Eddie to confront what they really wanted out of life, it was up to them to find their way back to each other.
Back home.
takin' my time, let the world turn by archerincombat
Set immediately post 5x10 'Wrapped in Red', in which Eddie is leaving the 118, and Buck is floundering in the aftermath of his decision.
we'll be forever, you'll see by rarakiplin (gmontys)
| buddie | T | angst w/ a happy ending | words: 20751 | complete |
Eddie reaches a hand, slowly, towards the cat, palm up and open like he was taught to greet dogs, and the beast hisses at him.
“Oh, relax,” he says, rolling his eyes, and inches his hand closer. “I’m bigger than you.”
The cat’s eyes are narrowed into slits, zeroed in on his hand, but she doesn’t hiss again. Eddie’s not sure how she does it, but he gets the distinct impression that she’s doing him a huge favour when she finally lets him get close enough to run gentle fingers over the top of her head.
Her fur is dry and chalky, like she’s got a layer of grime settled on top of her. Eddie’s familiar with the feeling.
Covered in hope, and filling with doubt by Mellaithwen
| gen | T | emotional hurt/comfort | words: 6650 | complete |
“Buck,” Bobby says again with that tone, “Eddie’s not coming back until he’s processed what he needs to. If he comes back before he’s ready then he’s putting himself and everyone else in danger.”
Buck reels from the comment as it hits too close to home. He’s suddenly reminded of Bobby uttering the words 'light duty' as they rise up unbidden from the back of his mind, but Hen just tilts her head to her shoulders beside him as though she’s been handed the missing piece of the puzzle.
“He asked to come back, didn’t he?” She says knowingly, and Buck almost gives himself whiplash from the speed in which he turns from her to his captain and back again.
“Wait—what?”
Buck finds out about Bobby and Eddie's conversation, and Eddie won't reply to any of his messages.
(He's trying not to freak out. It's not going well.)
i just wanna tell you how i'm feeling by probieravi
Buck thrusts his phone into Eddie’s hand, opened to their text thread, and—oh. It’s a picture that Ravi sent him that Eddie obviously sent to Buck immediately, because it was—actually, he doesn’t really know why he sent it to Buck. Ravi sends him random shit like that all the time, from memes to TikToks, and usually, Eddie just reacts to the messages with a laugh or a thumbs up and leaves it at that.
But Frank’s been telling him to express himself without words, since Eddie is, according to Frank, emotionally constipated sometimes, and so—he just sent it without thinking.
Eddie glances at the picture, mouth quirking a little in the corner.
“It’s a meme,” Eddie says, raising an eyebrow at Buck. “I know you know what that is. You’re the one who taught me what they were.”
or, healing through shitty memes sure is cathartic.
Buck shakes his head, not even sure what he’s denying. “I’m fine. It was just—it was a weird call, that’s all.”
(You were shot six months ago, and almost buried alive before that, and I know it’s not the same, but I can’t stop—)
“You’re here.”
The words hit Buck’s chest like a blunt sword; hard enough to bruise, more damaging than you’d think it could be: you’re here, so something is wrong.
everything's coming up milhouse by hammersmiths
| buddie | T | humor | words: 4000 | complete |
LAFD Updates (@L*A*F*D_Metro)
LAFD Alert: Red-level traffic on Gardiner Road this morning. If you are trying to get into the city centre consider taking Westerley Lane.
buck 🔥🔥 (@firebuck)
so true bestie
or, Eddie mans the LAFD Twitter account. Buck tries to be supportive.
circles all the way down by archerincombat
| buddie | M | angst with a happy ending | words: 70393 | complete |
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Bobby,” Buck bites out. “He took three months off. Saw a physical therapist. Did a few sessions with Frank. Clearly, he’s doing great.”
Bobby chews his lip. “If you’re sure,” he says finally. “He just looked a little off at that car crash, is all.”
“I would have noticed,” Buck insists. “It’s Eddie. I would’ve noticed.”
Or, healing doesn't happen in tandem
i thought i loved you (it's just how you looked in the light) by asgardiun
| buddie | g | romance | words: 5338 | complete |
He loves the kitchen sink and the drying rack on the counter, because he always washes and Eddie always dries and sometimes when he dries he chips the grey bowls and breaks the white plates, but it doesn’t matter because he bought the set second hand and really, they don’t need more than three plates, three bowls, three mugs, and three forks.
“Just three?” Maddie asks.
“Yeah, me, Christopher, and Eddie,” he says, like it’s obvious.
Maddie gives a knowing smile. “And Taylor?”
He shrugs. “It’s not like the four of us hang out."
“So who’s plate is she borrowing when they leave?” Buck stays quiet. She sets her mug on the table. “Moving out might help, but no matter where you go, you’ll only have three plates.”
(In which Buck hates his apartment, breaks up with Taylor, and makes a long overdue confession.)
Oh,” Greg says, his face falling, “that’s Lucifer.”
Buck lets out something between a laugh and a cough.
“Lucifer,” he repeats.
“It's a long story,” Greg says, tugging on the collar of his polo, his name tag clinking. “He's—not exactly well socialized, and he really, really hates—“ he starts, except he’s interrupted by Eddie’s voice, the first words Buck has heard him say since they dropped Chris off at Hen and Karen's.
“Hi,” Eddie says, crouching right under the bright red sign – which, now that Buck’s close enough to read it, says DO NOT PET – and reaching his fingers toward the bars.
“—men,” Greg finishes, his voice weak, frozen mid-step like he’s not sure if he should be hauling Eddie away while there’s still time. “He hates men. Usually.”
or the one in which healing looks a little like ten pounds of dog with a mean streak.
Been Holding My Breath, Been Counting Till Ten (over something you said) by ChasetheWindTouchtheSky
| gen - buddie | T | Hurt/Comfort | words: 20018 | complete |
“No getting out of it now.” Bobby’s steady voice makes him flinch.
“We literally haven’t moved.”
“You could run,” Bobby says with a shrug. “But then you’d have to deal with Athena.” He steps into the RV.
Turning around, Buck sees Athena standing at the doorway, her hand still in the air. When she catches his eye, something in her expression shifts. He’s seen that expression before. Typically, she uses it on people who are about to flee arrest.
I fucking dare you.
Sighing, Buck gets on the RV.
After a call that is almost his last, Buck is having a hard time. He’s avoids his family, his friends, and everything in between. When Bobby suggests they go on a road trip, he almost laughs. But what’s worse? He actually says yes.
Or: The Post 5A recovery road trip fic literally no one asked for, but I wrote anyway.
Chimney’s chair creaks. Buck cranes his head over the back of the couch and watches him straighten up, pop his back, close the folder.
“You only ever ask me weird questions,” he says, and then crosses the loft to sit in one of the armchairs. He levels Buck with a look that’s way too knowing for the amount of words they’ve exchanged. “What’s up?”
He takes a breath.
“What does it feel like to be a dad?”
in which buck is used to wanting things he's not allowed to have; it's just that he never thought being a father would be one of them.
tell me about despair by hattalove
| buddie | M | romance, angst with a happy ending| words: 148,982 | complete |
eddie's not entirely sure he believes in getting help, at least not for himself. there's only so much healing to be had for a body torn apart by bullets, for a mind that's only half there, for a man who's been leaving pieces of himself behind all his life with nothing to take their place.
except, as it turns out, falling apart happens in increments, and healing does, too: it happens when you gnaw a hole in your lip trying to keep quiet only to have the words escape; when you realize that the ghost you've been seeing out of the corner of your eye is yourself; when your best friend smiles, and you allow it to take your breath away.
it happens through the smallest of things: bird feeders, and cacti, and pasta shapes.
meanwhile, the world goes on.
(or: the entity often affectionately referred to as the unrepression fic.)
it could mean something (it could mean everything) by renecdote
The truck is going to hit the ground. Hard. Can’t avoid that. Buck wonders if crashing down on top of a firetruck will hurt more than a firetruck crashing down on top of him.
Buck looks down, picking at the label on his beer bottle. It’s not that he has been avoiding Eddie. It’s just… he doesn’t want to have this conversation.
“Look, I’m sorry, I know you’re mad—”
“I’m not mad, I’m—” Eddie takes a breath; starts again, soft with sincerity. “I’m worried about you.”
Fuck.
Buck angst, set post 5x05.
across our great divide (a glorious sunrise) by catching_paper_moons
| buddie | M | angst | words: 53,747 | complete |
“We’re working on it,” Maddie explains, shooting Chimney a look. He nods seriously. “In couples therapy.”
“Huh,” Eddie says, and then he thinks about it. "Do you think Buck and I would benefit from couples therapy?"
—
or, Eddie gets Buck to come to couples therapy with him.
just prior to this fic i’d joked that Buck and Eddie going to couple’s counseling would be a surfire way to know that they weren’t actually going to go canon but then i read this and 100% changed my mind.
Close My Eyes and Stumble (Right Into Your Love) by HMSLusitania
| buddie | M | angst | words: 21,652 | complete |
Eddie's PTSD is just that little bit worse and when he moves to Los Angeles, instead of joining the LAFD, he joins dispatch.
Which is all good and fine, except for this one firefighter he keeps ending up talking to.
bonus rec bc this fic was a little too on the nose to leave out.
no but that clip of Eddiein therapy is SO INTERESTING wrt the abby parallels of it all. i’d noticed them when i went and rewatch “what’s next” (putting everyone else’s needs above her own, feeling like she has to leave to regain some sort of control over her life) but i honestly didn’t expect them to have Eddie and Frank outright repeat it in that episode.
listen; i was just saying last night the only way i want Eddie at the 133 is if we get a conversation with Captain Mehta about the shooting between the two of them. other than Buck, he’s the only one that was there for the whole thing and i just think that’s Interesting
