(this is my favorite part)

These are findings I already posted on Twitter but I will reiterate and go into more detail in a longer post later.

Kazuki is Bi

Rei is into men

Rei is the jealous type

Kazuki stopped being a whore after moving in with Rei 🏳️‍🌈

Kazuki is a kinky bitch

Kazuki is a top

Kazuki and Rei both find Kyu-Chan attractive

Here’s the evidence:

Kabuki is bi and Rei is into men:

Rei is the jealous type and Kazuki stopped being a whore after moving in with Rei 🏳️‍🌈

Kazuki is Kinky and a top

Kazuki and Rei both find Kyu-Chan attractive

Thank you Marcella!!! ♡♡♡ and thank you for sharing the audio of Kazuki running and out of breath, I personally appreciate that very much

Now we know Kazuki and Rei’s first time meeting each other went like this:

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Rei (aka the murder machine) (aka the ‘Elite Rei’) (22 years old) (39 cents to his name) ran away from home, has no money for food so he steals ransom money from these random yakuza thugs he stumbles upon.

Kazuki (25 years old) (widower) (currently drunk) (probably also has around 39 cents to his name) is found by Kyu-chan after a night of unsuccessful gambling and they go back to Yadorigi.

Kazuki has failed so many missions that this new job Kyu-chan gives him (to find Rei and protect him because he’s never lived outside of the family house and his profile says he has ‘zero life experience or skills’ and has a ‘naive view of the world’) is his last chance.

Rei is running away from the thugs when Kazuki finds him and not knowing who he is, Rei runs away from him too. Kazuki chases him, somehow catches up to him (regretting his drunken state). Rei attacks him then pulls out a gun, accuses him of being a competitor and then FAINTS because he’s so hungry.

Kazuki carries him back to his place and makes him food. Rei calls his place dirty and says his food is nothing special. Kazuki explains the misunderstanding and tells Rei he should play the cards he’s been dealt by working for the neighborhood’s boss (Kyu-chan?) and earn money that way instead of stealing it from high risk people (like the freaking yakuza!). Rei thanks him for saving him and takes his advice.

Suddenly the thugs attack and Rei destroys Kazuki’s place with gunshots while defending them.

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One month later…

Like we see in episode 8, Kazuki walks into the bar and sees Rei looking like a complete mess of a man (but we know from his conversation with Kyu-chan that Rei has completed 30 jobs in one month while Kazuki has completed…?).

A few days later, Kazuki goes to the bar to rant to Kyu-chan about his place being wrecked with bullet holes and Kyu-chan asks Kazuki to pick up documents at Rei’s place since Rei never leaves the house.

Kazuki walks into Rei’s apartment and immediately freaks out and yells about all of the gross old food that’s rotting and mysterious liquids in the sink. He offers to help clean it and Rei is like ‘have fun with that,’ and goes back to playing video games.

~Insert scene in episode 8 where Kazuki cleans Rei’s entire apartment, dunks him in the bathtub, cuts his hair, brings in furniture, and cooks him food~

As they eat, Kazuki complains he’ll never have this nice of a kitchen, and blames Rei for destroying his current place. Rei says, “There are spare rooms left over.“ and Kazuki responds, “You want me to be your housekeeper.“ Which is correct, but he admits it wouldn’t be so bad and they could help each other out - him with housework and Rei with their jobs.

Kazuki accepts he’ll be taking care of Rei for a little while. And then we get:

Kazuki: “It’s a pleasure doing business, shut in.”

Rei: “The pleasure is all mine, freeloader.”

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Then they proceed to live together, do all of their jobs together, and drink at the same bar together for -THREE YEARS-

Buddy Daddies really is for the aces, aros, queerplatonic partners, and platonic life partners out there. 

I know, 100%  that there are going to be some people out there that are going to say, “See! It really was just queerbait all along” or some who are going to bemoan the fact that there were no declarations of romantic love or kiss or whatever. I’m sure this part right here:

Miri: “Didn’t you slip out yesterday to go drinking with a girl again?” 

Caused some frowns and I do get it. Because of this, the queerbait and Kazuki and Rei are just friends dialogue will continue and follow the series around. But, this episode has made it clear that Kazuki and Rei love not only Miri, but each other as well.

They are a work partners (相棒 - aibou)

They are partners raising a child together. (相方 - aikata).

They’ve moved (I’m pretty sure their diner is in Okinawa for reasons I’ll get to in another post), they’ve opened a business together, one which has a part of Kazuki’s last name in it (来栖 - Kurusu is his last name, the 栖 (su) part of his name means “nest.”), and Rei’s words to his father: Miri, Kazuki, and I share a bond stronger than blood. 

They are a family. They love each other.

Of course, friends can be a part of a family. Friends can love each other, but there are also reasons why people who are in situations like co-parenting, queerplatonic relationships, platonic life partnerships, and etc. don’t refer to their bonds as friendships and the people they are co-parenting or in a partnership with as their friends, but as words that give some space for those grey areas in-between.

Friendships are strong, deep, and beautiful. Platonic love is love and is powerful.

But, there are definitely still different sets of expectations and boundaries that come with friendships vs. other relationship dynamics. 

Kazuki and Rei’s situation falls outside of the usual friendship expectations and boundaries and sits somewhere between that, family and partnership.

I know this topic has been talked to death about. But, I felt like I needed to write about and address it one final time since Buddy Daddies has come to an end (though, who knows about a potential Daughter Daddies!) Especially after Miri’s line to Kazuki. (I feel I could also go into open relationship dynamics, polyamorous relationships, and etc. but that feels like it would be derailing).