#pq rambles

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.

And nothing else about her writing would have to be changed. Oz and Tara would still fall in love with her, and she would still be the most powerful witch in the western hemisphere, and she would still nearly destroy the world out of grief and be loved back into saving it.

I love Alyson Hannigan's Willow, but I wish Willow had been a fat girl (as had been cast in the test pilot). Alyson's Willow was slim and pretty. She dressed homely, but still. You're telling me not a single boy asked her out?

How would it affect the show if we had got a fat Willow? (I get rambly below the cut)

Buck who was not into the idea at first suddenly having a visceral need to be The Best At Pilates but it backfires because Tommy ends up having to help everyone but him. He sulks about it. Bobby assumes it's because Buck finds it boring since Buck seems to be able to do anything Tommy suggests, so Bobby apologizes to Tommy for Buck's unusually grumpy moods.

Whenever Tommy puts his hands on Eddie or Chimney to help them adjust, Buck gets more and more annoyed. Hen is a little suspicious and teases very gently that Buck should try to book himself some Tommy Time if he's so annoyed about it

And then Buck decides, fuck it, Hen's right, so he signs up for a private session at Tommy's pilates studio, and over there he finally gets all of Tommy's attention and he is a bright ray of sunshine, so different from when he was at the firehouse, and Tommy kinda gets an inkling of what is happening

So he enlists Buck as his co-instructor at the 118 sessions, and "you have to come over a couple days or nights before the lesson so you know the proper form and flow, and how to help the others" and it's a lot of one to one time and Tommy puts his hands on Buck to show him where a beginner's form may go wrong etc

but Tommy thought Buck and Maddie were a couple so he isn't that impressed with Buck trying to flirt with him

so when Maddie comes to pick up the painting she commissioned for her boyfriend Tommy tells her "your boyfriend tried flirting with me, just fyi if you're spending four figures on him"

Maddie is confused because how did Tommy know Chimney? And did Chimney come by and flirt with this guy? And then Maddie realises what happened and explains and Tommy turns beet red

and Maddie then gleefully tells Buck about it and Buck is like oh ho ho the boy did notice me batting my eyes at him I shall go try again