YeehawKermie

Something I noticed that could very well be coincidence is that Tom's written description of the sea hag is:

Old woman

Possibly damp

Faster than old woman should be

Which matches up quite well with Ruth in the last episode:

Obviously shes a fairly old woman

She says she needs a towel too when offering one for Tom because shes sweaty due to her workout (possibly damp)

The camera lingers on her running energetically up the stairs and she was previously running on the treadmill (faster than an old woman should be)

Like id love if they were out getting groceries or went to the bank together yk just casually running errands on their day off (cos i need buddie roomates like yesterday) and suddenly theyre trapped in a robbery/hodtage situation.

Maybe the perps find out theyre firefighters and use them as a bargaining chip (athenas running point on the scene ofc) or someome gets injured and they want to step in and help. Maybe buck gets hurt or they threaten buck to stop eddie helping someone else and we get to see angry protective eddie and suddenly hes really reevaluating just how much buck means to him because just the sight of buck being threatened made him feel truly murderous.

Buck has spent his whole life being left behind or being someone's second choice. Maddie left him, Abby left him, Ali left him, Tommy, Bobby etc. His parents only had him to save their son, and when that didn't work he had to do EVERYTHING to get their attention. Abby left and never told him she was coming back, instead getting engaged to someone else. Tommy really actually wanted Eddie, not Buck, and instead settled for Buck when it was clear it wouldnt happen with Eddie. Even the dog left. Its also true that, at least in his eyes, he is never the most important person in the lives of those who are most important to him. He is Bobby and Athena's son, but they both have their own children, same with Maddie, who raised him. He's Chris's dad, but he has Eddie, and will always have Shannon with him. And then theres Eddie.

Eddie who got his girlfriend pregnant in high school and felt he had to get married to her, Eddie who felt he had to be with Ana because Chris liked her and it was what was expected of him, Eddie, whos abuela tried to set him up on dates that he hated because he felt like he had to perform, Eddie who lost Marisol amd Chris because he couldnt let go of Shannon due to his lack of closure and control surrounding her death - sudden, painful, and right after she said she wanted to break up. Eddie, who's parents controlled every aspect of his life to the point that he no longer felt joy for the things he loved, leaving him riddled with religious guilt and taking away his one constant (his son).

Buck gets all nervous because he's seen this happen before (with Ana) and knows Eddie won't react well . He's been espescially protective of Christopher since texas, and will take any opportunity to assert his place as Chris' dad (he wants no repeats of the chess tornement incident with his dad). So he starts to try and deny it or smooth things over.

But instead of reacting poorly, Eddie surprises even himself by just...not reacting at all. Almost as if it makes perfect sense. Thats the space Buck has been occupying in both him and Chris' lives for 7 years, and hes shocked to realise just how ok with that he is.