👀

something i’ve seen tossed around a lot by fans and by some of the journalists who cover the show is this notion that the buddie slowburn officially started in s7, and that we are still only at the starting phase of the slow burn because to ABC this is only s2 of the show, not s8.

i find the logic in that to be flawed in various aspects, and it frankly makes me a little angry to see people who call themselves buddie shippers perpetuating/supporting this narrative because it makes me wonder if they truly actually want to see buddie go canon.

my first gripe with this argument is the notion that the show “restarted” when abc took over:

if this were the case, then does that mean that we as fans are expected to completely disregard the previous six years of canon in order to watch the show go forward at abc? does this mean that all of the development the characters have gone through over the years, the traumas, hardships, and pains are just nullified because nothing that was intentionally set-up and written into the story counts anymore? the argument is that buddie scenes were not being intentionally written in former seasons the same way they have been in season 7 and 8… we know this is untrue based on multiple cast interviews on previous arcs, as well as tim minear himself stating that he has written them the same, and to his credit- he has; buddie secens in s7 and 8- with a few exceptions of course- ultimately to me have not felt any more subtextually romantic than they have in any other season. this difference lies in the fact that we have received a lot more buddie scenes since the shift to abc, but the intention behind them has not changed and you can tell in most of the writing (again, barring a few exceptions)

my second issue w this take, is that (in the tweet that inspired this post), the journalist and a few replies i also saw screenshots of made the argument that a buddie slowburn couldn’t have started until buck was canonically bisexual.

i have qualms with this for many reasons, namely that no one before s7 even thought to entertain the idea of anyone other than eddie being buck’s bisexual awakening- aside from the “he’s always known” route that wouldn’t have necessarily gone over well in the fandom. if that is the crux of thus argument, then technically the slow burn hasn’t started now either since eddie still isn’t canonically queer. the implication that characters have to be out or have things figured out before they can enter into a relationship to me feels antiquated and very much in line with a heteronormative view of relationships that should not be applied to queer meta.

my final issue, is that if this take holds true, and the writers are treating this as if it’s only the beginning of a slow burn, then how much longer do we have to wait?

those of us who have been here since the beginning and have been waiting for seven years- those of us who have gone through both high school and college being told constantly to “be patient.” how many more seasons of the same things we’ve gotten the past seven years (because let’s be for real- there’s not much more they can do in one-on-one scenes w them without stepping into explicitly romantic territory) are we going to have to sit through before the “slow-burn” that apparently hasn’t been happening since s2 (it has) can finally end? season 12? season 14 or 15 to give it another 7 or 8 years? why would anyone in the fandom be content with 14 seasons of stagnation just because a network decided to randomly decide a that pairing who were already a slowburn could officially start being considered a slowburn in the writer’s room?

i’m tired of being told to be patient. there is no reason why buddie should not be canon by midseason 9, especially with the trajectory they’ve been on. buck has literally been WAY beyond the realization zone since 8a ended, for some reason he just hasn’t noticed yet, and eddie’s about to be right there with him. it gets to a point where it’s no longer a “slowburn for the ga who haven’t noticed it until now” (an argument which is frankly bullshit considering the ga HAVE BEEN noticing this for a long time) and it’s just “stalling bc we don’t want to put effort into this anymore.”

idk why seeing a pic of that tweet really pissed me off the way it did, but i guess i’m just tired of being told the whole “it’s only a matter of when, not if” because that’s the same shit i’ve had to hear for 7 years

i’ve been watching this show since i was 15

i’d rather buddie go canon before i turn 30 with 14 years of waiting under my belt just because yall want to say that them going canon in s9 is “rushed” all because you think the slowburn didn’t start until s7.

Buck: "in love with eddie?"

Buck: You sound a little asstroubled.

Hen: A little bootybothered if you ask me.

Eddie: Someone’s having a tushytantrum.

Ravi: Saltycheeks behavior fr.

Built to Handle You

The 118 firehouse kitchen, post-shift, quiet except for the hum of the fridge and the faint chatter from the TV room.

Buck leaned against the counter, nursing his protein shake like it had insulted him. Eddie barely glanced up from where he was rinsing out his mug.

“You ever just…” Buck sighed, his voice low and weirdly vulnerable. “Want someone to just— manhandle you a little?”

Eddie blinked, turning fully toward him now. “Manhandle?”

“Yeah. Like, throw me around. Grab me. Slam me into things. In a good way,” Buck clarified, waving his hand. “But it’s like—because I’m big, people just assume I’m always the one doing the grabbing. It’s exhausting. I don’t wanna be in charge all the time.”

Eddie raised a brow. “You do realize you’re talking to another firefighter, right? Like, you know I literally haul 200-pound dummies out of burning buildings for fun.”

Buck groaned. “I know, but everyone acts like I’m too big to be picked up. Too heavy to toss around. It’s not even about size—it’s about vibe, man. Dominance! Control!” He gestured dramatically. “I want to be the one who gets thrown against a wall for once!”

Eddie chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Yes, Buck. You’re just soooo big and impossible to throw around. What a tragedy.”

Buck narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. “You’re mocking me.”

“Maybe a little,” Eddie said, smirking.

“I’m serious! I just want someone who can and will. But it’s like I’m doomed to be the top forever.”

Eddie didn’t respond right away. He stared at Buck for a moment—one long, unreadable look. Then, in a single fluid motion, he stepped forward, grabbed Buck firmly by the hips, and hoisted him up with zero effort.

“Eddie—what—!”

Buck barely had time to blink before his back hit the wall with a thud, legs instinctively wrapping around Eddie’s waist as he stared down at him in open-mouthed shock.

“There,” Eddie said, voice low and rough. “Still think nobody can throw you around?”

Buck’s breath stuttered. “…Jesus Christ.”

“Next time you want to be manhandled, just ask,” Eddie said, letting him slide down slowly but leaving their faces inches apart. “But only if you mean it.”

Buck’s lips parted. “I always mean it.”

Built to Handle You

The 118 firehouse kitchen, post-shift, quiet except for the hum of the fridge and the faint chatter from the TV room.

Buck leaned against the counter, nursing his protein shake like it had insulted him. Eddie barely glanced up from where he was rinsing out his mug.

“You ever just…” Buck sighed, his voice low and weirdly vulnerable. “Want someone to just— manhandle you a little?”

Eddie blinked, turning fully toward him now. “Manhandle?”

“Yeah. Like, throw me around. Grab me. Slam me into things. In a good way,” Buck clarified, waving his hand. “But it’s like—because I’m big, people just assume I’m always the one doing the grabbing. It’s exhausting. I don’t wanna be in charge all the time.”

Eddie raised a brow. “You do realize you’re talking to another firefighter, right? Like, you know I literally haul 200-pound dummies out of burning buildings for fun.”

Buck groaned. “I know, but everyone acts like I’m too big to be picked up. Too heavy to toss around. It’s not even about size—it’s about vibe, man. Dominance! Control!” He gestured dramatically. “I want to be the one who gets thrown against a wall for once!”

Eddie chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Yes, Buck. You’re just soooo big and impossible to throw around. What a tragedy.”

Buck narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms. “You’re mocking me.”

“Maybe a little,” Eddie said, smirking.

“I’m serious! I just want someone who can and will. But it’s like I’m doomed to be the top forever.”

Eddie didn’t respond right away. He stared at Buck for a moment—one long, unreadable look. Then, in a single fluid motion, he stepped forward, grabbed Buck firmly by the hips, and hoisted him up with zero effort.

“Eddie—what—!”

Buck barely had time to blink before his back hit the wall with a thud, legs instinctively wrapping around Eddie’s waist as he stared down at him in open-mouthed shock.

“There,” Eddie said, voice low and rough. “Still think nobody can throw you around?”

Buck’s breath stuttered. “…Jesus Christ.”

“Next time you want to be manhandled, just ask,” Eddie said, letting him slide down slowly but leaving their faces inches apart. “But only if you mean it.”

Buck’s lips parted. “I always mean it.”

this is frankly disgusting behavior and you make the whole fandom look bad by saying this shit. get a fucking grip. touch some grass. GOD