The Only Reason I Want Them To Bring Taylor Back, She Knew What Buck And Eddie Got Going On

im thinking about the “peeta forced katniss into their relationship” take because. it irritates me.

first of all, no he didn’t. she had the choice not to engage with him further and she chose to do so. yes her life was on the line — but it wasn’t peeta’s confession that put her in that position, it was the capitol’s use of it for further entertainment. peeta’s intent with his confession was only give her an edge in the competition, not to somehow force her to fall in love with him in a situation in which he fully expected to die. going into the hunger games with the motivation of finding love would be a truly insane thing to do. peeta genuinely believes she can win, so he’s doing all he can do help her, both out of legitimate love and admiration for her, but also out of an honest belief in her survival skills. he’s not trying to date her; he’s trying to save her life.

but also like, even disregarding all the outside pressure, he had legitimate reason to believe she liked him back? because even before his confession she: talks about watching him in the market (my fav scene because like, okay katniss) and noticing his wrestling score, she kisses him on the cheek, she gets offended when he asks to be coached separately — it’s clear that even before peeta says he likes her that katniss is interested in him. obviously she rationalizes all of this because she’s katniss, but if we were watching this from anyones perspective but her own, we’d probably assume she liked him? i mean why does haymitch say “well well well” after they talk each other up? because he NOTICED. that’s where the star crossed lovers strategy begins. not with peetas confession but with haymitch watching them hype each other up and being like “oh damn they like each other” and haymitch being smart enough to realize that only genuine love can defeat the capitol!!!

anyway obviously i do not believe k/p was ever a one sided thing, not even before the games. peeta couldnt have forced her to like him by doing anything because she already did like him, she just didn’t know it. they both admired each other from afar and that’s why things “would have happened anyway” as katniss tells us. the games didn’t force them to be together, they made it difficult to sort out what was REAL OR NOT REAL! and what does katniss tell us in the very last line? it was all REAL.

#They canonically don't need a visitor's badge and they have a key to each other's house. They are not guests or visitors in each other's life. They're here to stay permanently

I'm here to argue my case about how Eddie fell first and has in fact been semi-aware of his feelings since season 3 and it's currently dealing with the way he thinks he'll have to be the best man on Buck's wedding. So sit down, buckle up, grab your delusional drink of choice (today I'm drinking my delusional tea lol), and let's go.

Okay, given season 6 information, we know Buck and Eddie are roughly the same age and we know Eddie was pursued by Bobby and Bobby wanted a partner for Buck (unrelated but Bobby so hoped the military guy would balance out Buck and for a while there he ended up with two very impulsive firefighters and he definitely had a few what the hell have I done moments lol) so it's kinda safe to assume that Buck was one of the selling points of the 118 because Buck is a very competent firefighter and they would be on the same shift. So Eddie went in with the expectation of someone his age he could befriend. I'm making some assumptions but the internet tells me the academy takes a year, we know Eddie still doesn't have a permanent childcare plan, so this man is interacting outside of the academy exclusively with his 7 yo, his abuela, and tia for a year, so I think that the idea of having a friend his own age was appealing to him. Especially after the army and Shannon leaving him. So much so that with his sharp edges, you can actually read things like "I'd go lower" or "you're in the wrong light, man" as attempts to create a bond, very awkward I haven't tried to make friends in forever attempts but attempts nonetheless because he's trying to be helpful. Buck is being Buck, but even Eddie says I hear you're a good guy, so dude is trying to understand what's happening, what's setting Buck off, and while he matches Buck's energy after the gym conversation, he actually continues to try and bond with Buck with the thing that actually works and the "you're badass under pressure" that is still another attempt to get through to Buck. I have various theories about the way Eddie keeps trying to start something, the one I like the most and the most painful one is about how Eddie has had the weight of the world on his shoulders forever. And he had to grow up really fast, and then there is Buck annoying him about nicknames and discussing his body fat percentage, and with all that really carefree energy season 1 and beginning of season 2 Buck had that he probably wanted to know what it felt like. But Buck is Buck and Buck also wanted a friend so dude imprinted on Eddie like a baby duck. But Eddie doesn't mind, like before Bobby comes in to say who got the spot on the calendar, Eddie looks amused by Buck not annoyed. But up until now, that's casual. They're coworkers.

Then we have the earthquake. We know Christopher is Eddie's whole world and he's very careful about the people he lets into their life, considering the earthquake happened on Maddie's first day on the floor and she must've had some sort of training before that, it's safe to assume that Eddie didn't mention Chris at the firehouse for at least a few weeks and he is very hesitant to tell Buck about him, but again Buck is Buck and he switches into reassurance mode and that's when Eddie actually lets him in. I actually would love it if we had an explanation as to why Buck drove Eddie to Chris' school after the shift, but it's something that he went from being hesitant to even mention he existed to introducing Buck to him. But then we have the moment Buck becomes his ride-or-die, you imprinted on me but now I'm hanging on to you, with the whole going to the hospital with him because of abuela and also the way that Buck clears Chris staying at the firehouse before Eddie thinks to do it.

This moment right here it's what gets Eddie. He's ready to apologize and justify and he doesn't have to because Buck stepped up to do something simply because he realized Eddie needed help and he could do something about it. Eddie is doing everything alone and he needs help but he doesn't know how or who to ask for it and Buck just steps in and does it before he needs to ask. And then there's Carla. Buck tricks him into showing up and literally hands him the solution to his problems because Buck knows Eddie wouldn't accept it if Buck had said what that was about beforehand, but at no point does Buck make it seem like Eddie is a bad parent for needing help. And I think with the whole thing with his parents trying to take Chris from him, that really does something.

I really like to use the second gif here as a major example of Eddie's heart eyes for Buck, but the first one, when he realizes who Carla is and what she can give him completely changes his demeanor. He was ready to be polite, was probably trying to figure out a way out without saying he was still married, but instead, Buck does something that not only makes Eddie's life easier but makes Christopher's exponentially better. And right then, Eddie is done for. I'm not saying he fell in love with Buck here, I'm just saying right here is when Eddie goes you're stuck with me now dude, and let his guard down with Buck, as much as this Eddie can at least. That's when something starts for him. You can't change my mind on this one. But for now, there's the Shannon of it all, because Eddie does love Shannon but their relationship is beyond complicated. 

But Buck is still constant through Shannon and I think that's important, actually, because Eddie is having trouble trusting Shannon and I feel like having Buck around helps him not go straight to the worst-case scenario all the time. I don't have a point in mentioning this, it's just a clear show of how much Eddie already trusts Buck, but to have Buck go with him to take Chris to see Santa is so wild. Who takes their best friend to see Santa with their kid? Like, what?? But Isn't it interesting that Eddie decides to propose again after Buck asks when is the wedding? I find that fascinating really. Then Shannon dies, Buck almost dies, dude goes into move past it mode but the seed is there. Forever thinking about the wistful shot of Eddie saying almost after Hen says things are back to the way they should be. Something else about the finale it's that it's the first in the list of irrationality moments from Eddie regarding Buck. Eddie is a firefighter, he's objectively stronger than Chimney, so the logical thing to be done is to have Eddie helping lift the truck and Chim treating Buck. But no, at that moment he's a medic who's there to hold Buck's hand. He's just holding Buck's hand. He could've left Buck with Hen and go help lift the truck. But no, he's staying by Buck's side.

But season 3 is when things HAPPEN. We start out strong with the sheer excitement on Eddie's face that Buck is going back to work. Then the way Eddie just hands Christopher over to Buck without a single worry. "Oh, you're falling apart? Here's a kid, he will help" and just goes. We focus a lot on Buck's reaction to them finding Chris because it is what the show wants us to focus, this is the moment Buck looks at Chris and goes "shit I really love that kid" but Eddie looking back at Buck as he holds Chris is interesting. Eddie just went through 30 seconds (actually it's 1 minute 4 seconds from the moment Eddie notices Buck to Eddie having Chris in his arms not that it matters) of the worst possible moments in a parent's life and I guess, since Buck didn't have Chris, and Buck was too shaken to explain what had happened, he assumed Buck lost Chris during the first wave and he's looking back because he's shocked he saved not only himself but Chris from the wave, but from his focus to shift to Buck like that it's interesting. Even more, considering the way he barges into the loft to hand Chris over again. "There's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you" I'm sorry, there's no platonic explanation for the wording of this, okay? This is a man who looked at his honest to god wife, the mother of his child, and said "I can forgive you, I'm just not sure I can trust you" and trust is always the thing Eddie struggles with. To trust someone with Christopher is Eddie's ultimate show of love because it's what makes sense with his character, he is loyal until it kills him but nothing goes above Christopher. Also, Mr. Kids are signs hands over his own child to someone and I'm not supposed to look at that and go "huh wonder what he's feeling"? And there's the lawsuit of it all. Eddie gets that mad because he misses Buck and has no idea what to do with it. Because he got used to being a priority to Buck and he cannot handle the idea that maybe he's not. He's struggling, Chris is struggling and he needs Buck to do the thing he does where he fixes the problem without Eddie having to ask. But Buck has no real responsibility to Eddie or Chris, you can't really expect your best friend to base his life decisions on what's best for you. But it is the expectation Eddie has. He needs Buck to consider him. He needs Buck to be there for him no matter what. And at this point, when he's screaming at Buck as if they are a divorced couple, he's aware of something. He's definitely aware of something he doesn't want to look too closely at. 

Because being left by Buck leaves him completely off balance. And since Eddie is famous for not dealing with the shit he's feeling, things keep escalating because anger it's easier. Anger he can deal with. But in the end, he just wants Buck back so he forgives him the second he lets Buck speak. Because he wants the Buck that looks right through him, he wants what they have back. And he doesn't hesitate once he does. There are definitely some lingering feelings about how he kept pushing Shannon away and then she died and he "lost" time he could've had if he had let her in after he sought her out, so when Buck apologizes he just goes let's go team and moves on because tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. 

But I think there's something important to take into consideration, that it's Eddie's therapy session. He talks about not feeling anything, good or bad, and the his feelings are boxed thing and how he doesn't know what to do with them and yes, that comes back into play later, but it is important that Eddie doesn't name his feelings and he consistently tries to box them and move past them instead of feeling them, and it gets to a point where he's doing this even to positive things. So he is not looking too closely as to why missing Buck throws him off balance. He's all let's go back to the way things were and they do. Forever seeking for a heterosexual explanation to the kitchen scene in 3x09 but I also do think there are different types of tension between them there. Because while Buck is teasingly trying to get Eddie to admit on what had happened and how Buck's absence was a trigger for Eddie's fight club era in his flirty way of his, Eddie is trying to make him stop talking in a real "man don't make me look at what happened too closely" because he doesn't know what he'll find. Or if he's ready to find it. Considering the whole widower who never processed a big emotion in a healthy way he has going on there. But Buck is a really steady presence in Eddie's life, and Buck does his best to not put them in the lawsuit situation again, he's around, he's helping Eddie with parenting issues and then we have the well.

The well is a pivotal moment. Not just because of the sheer amount of Buck in Eddie's I need to keep fighting montage and the way Buck is acting above the ground, but because of the way Eddie changes his will after that and chooses to hide the fact that he did. Eddie has parents who are more than willing to raise Christopher, he has sisters, he has a lot of blood relatives that he could assign as Chris' guardians if something happens, but he chooses Buck. He chooses a firefighter, who is not only a firefighter, it's also his partner so if Eddie ends up in a life-threatening situation, Buck will probably be there too, so it's not the biggest safeguard. Buck is also single and without kids of his own. He also has known Buck for what? 2 years at that point? Eddie's lawyer probably stared at Eddie in disbelief when Eddie explained the situation. But the real thing about the will is that Eddie doesn't talk about it. Dude had some revelations while under all that mud because the only reason he wouldn't tell Buck is if he couldn't tell Buck without talking about himself. That's the only explanation for why he would hide it. Because Buck would ask why him, why now, like he did when Eddie did finally tell him, but right then Eddie can't shift the focus back to Buck. But there's a very subtle change in the way Eddie acts around Buck after the well. And again, sure, you can play off Eddie's reaction to when Buck wants to do something dangerous as he needs Buck to stay alive, but you can't really apply that logic to the way Eddie acts about Abby. Like, Eddie is petty to girls who want Buck, that's a fact. And Eddie is petty about Abby, but he also gets unsure about his place in Buck's life when he sees Buck's reaction to seeing Abby. And they focus on Eddie there. We get Eddie's reaction to that interaction. That means something.

We get Eddie legit feeling insecure about his place in Buck's life over the fact that Abby is there. And Eddie knows Abby as this entity, the one that got away, the person responsible for Buck being the way he is, because that's the way Abby is talked about, and sure, if I was in Eddie's shoes, only seeing the damage someone did to my best friend and then have them risking their life because of whatever lingering feelings are still there, I would also reserve myself the right to hate them, but it's more than that. Like, the way he backs away from the both of them once Buck goes into protector mode.

"Abby, His fiancée's Abby." *stomps away*. Absolutely insane interactions happen there that paint Buck as still hung up on Abby, even more after the whole thing with Red, but if you look at it with the right lenses, it paints Eddie as jealous of the way Buck is willing to put himself in danger to keep someone who broke him happy.

Every reaction from Eddie in the train wreck feels so calculated to give this idea that he's unsure of his place in Buck's life. His face when he realizes who he's talking to, his hand hovering over Buck's shoulder like he wants to comfort him but doesn't know if he can, the way he looks at Buck after Abby and Sam are in the ambulance. He's completely off balance at the sight of the ghost of Buck's great lost love and I'm supposed to believe that man is just experiencing platonic friendship feelings about his best friend? Come on. 

Season 4 is complicated. Because of the Ana and Taylor of it all. They do have the easy banter, Eddie being someone Buck can rely on during the whole mess with his parents, a few scenes of Buck completely comfortable in Eddie's space and Eddie just moving around him like he's meant to be there, but we know the Ana of it all happens because of external pressure. Eddie thinks he needs to date, so he grabs onto the first woman he can. The way his whole body relaxes when he realizes Christopher is with Buck is actually insane. But even though he's dating, he's holding on to Buck in a way. Absolutely obsessed with how much he hates Taylor. Dude legit looks like he's fantasizing about running her over with the fire engine while watching Buck and Taylor interact making Buck ignore him. 

But then Eddie gets shot. Say whatever the fuck you want Eddie reached for Buck. He thought he was dying. And he reached for Buck.

Eddie's been aware of something he doesn't want to look at too closely since the lawsuit that became harder to ignore after the well that he became fully aware of when he got shot. I know that what we have now says Eddie doesn't remember the shooting but wouldn't it be beautiful if he lied because he can't say what he remembers because everything he remembers is about Buck? The dramatic effect of I'm lying to you because I realized I loved you then but I can't tell you that now? Ugh. Anyway, Eddie got shot, things fell into place when he hit the ground, terrible place to have an oh! moment though. Dude just got shot, he's bleeding out, and the thing he gathers the rest of his energy is to ask if Buck is hurt. Sure, you can look at that as I think I'm dying so one of us has to make it home to Chris, but the possibility of it being an I love you I need to know you're okay before this kills me it's there. But he doesn't die. And when he wakes up Buck tells him it would've been better if he had been shot. You can see it on Eddie's face that he kept rehearsing what he was going to say about the will. Something else is the way that Ali takes Buck home after the truck so it would honestly make sense if Ana took Eddie home but he probably asked Buck to do it. That scene feels like an aborted love confession. "You act like you're expendable but you're wrong" the way he's saying you're not spare parts, you're not less important, you matter so much to me. Eddie knows Buck, he knows Buck associates love with pain. He wouldn't actually say something after he almost died, but it feels like he's working up to something. Sure he needs to break up with Ana, but there's time before he heals and can just, do something about it. But then Taylor fucking Kelly is in his welcome home party. He knew Buck and Taylor were working up to something. He knows Taylor being there means it happened. A violent reminder that Buck is straight (debatable) and doesn't feel the same (also debatable). So back to safety, he goes. 

I need to know who decided that having this particular look when they are literally talking about how Eddie is about to meet Ana's whole family was the way to go.

Also, can you believe Eddie needed Buck's approval to break up with the girlfriend he didn't even want to date anyway?

Season 5 is complicated because of Eddie's PTSD, 5A has a lot of Eddie pulling away because of the way he knew when the dam broke it wouldn't be pretty and he didn't want to take down anyone with him. But even when we see Eddie out of the job, we see him making an effort to include Buck and Taylor so Buck would know that he really did mean the whole "you're stuck with us" thing. I can talk about 5x11 to 5x14 and the implications of it to buddie for days, really, (you can read this for some of those thoughts), but the thing here I guess, it's a lot about how when the box exploded, the feelings are all over the place, Eddie sits back and lets Buck in. He talks about the way he's feeling in a way we don't really see Eddie do all that often and he leans on Buck through his recovery and the process of finding out how to not feel like there's no hope for himself and how to feel comfortable in his own skin again. And it's a lot about Buck and the way Buck is constant. Eddie feels like Buck is this steady presence in his life that can and does help Eddie move forward.

But the thing is, the shooting happened, Eddie realized things, Taylor Kelly (derogatory) happened, Taylor Kelly (derogatory) took herself out of the running, Eddie now has the tools to deal with his own emotions, he's single, Buck's single, they're having dinner with Chris at Buck's loft and Eddie is asking Buck about things Chris kept from him, but Eddie is in a fantasy bubble where he can pretend he has the things he wants without actually asking for anything to change. I mean, post therapy Eddie is better with his feelings, but he's still Eddie. He was in his little I have time bubble. That was violently popped. Because Buck died. And he had to save him. "Do more" is such a desperate thing for a first responder and former combat medic to scream at a team of doctors. He knows they always do the best they can. He did the best he could, but there's only so far he can go. The way he follows the gurney hurts me in so many ways. Some real don't go where I can't follow bullshit.

This is a man who watched Buck almost die multiple times. But this is also a man who never contemplated the possibility of Buck actually dying. The thing that drives me crazy about Eddie and everything surrounding Buck's death is that he can't look at it. He can't take his eyes off him, but once he's out of his sight he can't look at him again. He spends the whole time not looking at Buck. He looks away every time someone mentions it. Even when he's in the room with Chris he's not looking. 3 minutes 17 seconds. Look, this number bothers me. Bobby said they were 3 minutes out from the hospital and that it took 3 minutes to start compressions. So Buck was dead for 6 minutes. The rescue took 3 minutes. And Eddie counted. That's the only explanation for this particular number. He counted how long it took to get Buck to Chim and Hen and in the ambulance ready to go.

But Eddie was living comfortably in his bubble, I don't think he was at peace with it, but I do think he accepted it. But Buck wakes up, Buck seeks him out to help deal with the trauma. They look like a family, they act like a family, maybe it's not hopeless after all. Maybe Buck can feel the same and they can talk about it once Buck is not feeling so raw over his own death. Buck is just there all the time, something like that can't be one-sided, can it? But then Buck pulls the rug from under him. I made a very long post about the cemetery, you can read that one if you want, but the thing about that conversation is that it is a reminder that they are not on the same page. Because Buck throws him off balance again, considering the way Eddie was trying his hardest to be there for Buck just for Buck to say he's getting what he wants from a random woman he met a few days before. And it makes Eddie back away so he won't end up hurting his own feelings more. I think at this point Eddie has accepted the fact that he's going to have to be Buck's best man and is trying to find a way to be okay with it. So he's retreating to familiarity again. It explains why he's trying to recreate what he had with Shannon because he loved Shannon, so maybe if he found that again he wouldn't have to cut Buck off to move on. Because he needs Buck on some level but there is a limit on how much he can take while Buck goes around looking for something he already has.

And yes I talked and talked and talked but why does this mean Eddie fell first? Well, Buck will never figure it out on his own. The thing about Buck is that Buck doesn’t know what healthy love is. He thinks love is work, but in a it’s bleeding himself dry for someone way. He thinks love is pain. Eddie is safety. Eddie is home. He never knew home as a place where he can find love.

This is all for today. If you read this I love you. Also the doc I typed it out says it has over 4.3k words so this is long as fuck congratulations for sticking through it 🩷

Jaytim arranged marriage? :3c

Tim wakes up in the most comfortable bed he's ever been in, feeling the most well-rested he has in months. It's the first sign that something is very, deeply wrong.

Something is wrong because last night he went to sleep in the batcave's medbay to the sound of a heart monitor, and the sheets around him are definitely not the sterilized hospital grade ones he'd internally griped about. 

He keeps his breathing even and continues to feign sleep as he tries to take in as much information for his surroundings as possible. One- most immediately notable, his side doesn't hurt- which narrowed down the list of abductors to ones with healing magic. Two- whatever fabric he was dressed in was easily the finest he'd ever touched- which definitely narrowed it down further. Three- he's pretty sure he wasn't drugged. His mouth isn't dry, his head doesn't hurt, and he certainly didn't feel any disconnect from his senses or body. So. Likely not drugged. And finally- probably most importantly- there was a source of warmth beside him. 

No- most importantly is that the source of that warmth definitely has arms, because they are wrapped around him. 

He takes a slow, deep breath. If he opens his eyes and sees green and gold he is going to freak out. Seriously. He'd been studying how to actually permanently kill the bastard, if this ever came to pass- and sure, he didn't have any weapons on him- but he was creative. And patient. And has no fewer than four friends who would launch his remains into space if he asks. 

He gathers his courage with this in mind and cracks open his eyes, immediately going lax at the sight of fine pink linens and ornately carved marble. The style alone is definitely not Ra's.

The person at his back makes a grumbling noise and he freezes again- right. Just because it wasn't Ra's didn't mean this was a good situation. 

Carefully, slowly, he shifts in place on the bed and takes a peek. 

Oh, it’s just Jason. He relaxes into the hold the sleeping man has on him, shifting to lie on his back. Jason looks young when he’s asleep, every sign of tension usually on his face melted away. Tim touches his jaw, lightly, tracing along the bone with his fingertips. He’s greeted with the fluttering of dark lashes and bright teal eyes opening to meet his. Jason tenses, too- then immediately relaxes when he recognizes him. 

“Tim?” He murmurs, sounding half asleep still. It doesn’t stop him from tugging him closer, his own hand raising to cup his cheek as he stares down at him. 

Tim simply hums in affirmation, going easily and pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth. It feels good- right, actually- the scrape of stubble against his lips electrifying. Jason tilts to bring their lips together, hand sliding around his back to slip into his hair. 

Some part of him recognizes, even as his lips open in a silent invitation, that this shouldn’t be happening. He was- right, he was in the infirmary because he got stabbed not forty eight hours ago- definitely not in what had to be the fanciest honeymoon suite in Vegas or wherever they were. 

Jason’s tongue flicks across his lower lip before his teeth press into the plush flesh, and Tim briefly forgets the larger issue with his last thought. Jason’s good at kissing- gentler than he would’ve thought, if he’d ever given it any before- 

Right.. Another issue with what was happening was that he hasn’t ever given this any thought.

They don’t know where they are. 

And he’s in bed with Jason fucking Todd. 

And he has no idea how that happened or how either of them ended up wherever this was. 

He pulls back, wrenching himself from his arms and rushing to get out of the bed with an urgency that’s got him tumbling off of the thing and landing on the cold marble floor, but-

“What the fuck?!”  

"I was gonna ask you that." Tim says as he scrambles to his feet, grabbing the fine sheet when he realizes he's totally naked- 

Which only makes it clear that it was mutual, oh god. He covers his eyes with his hand and hopes his face isn't turning the same color as the sheet he's clutching around himself. 

“Where the fuck are we?" Jason sounds as lost as he is, which- 

Okay, yeah. He knows Jason's not the kind of guy to kidnap anyone for this purpose, so. That makes sense. It also does not help him figure out what's going on. 

When he cracks an eye open, Jason has a pillow placed over his lap and is looking as embarrassed and confused as he feels. It makes it marginally easier to drop his hand and start to talk.

"Yep, and no, I don't remember how we got here or where here is-" and on that note, he turns to survey the room. "And I have no clue why I woke up being the little spoon." 

"Size disadvantage, probably." Jason immediately takes the bait. So- good, he's not freaking out too bad if he's still going for the low hanging fruit. Tim wishes he could say the same.

"Hilarious." Tim shoots back dryly before returning to look at the walls. Maybe there was some kind of clue he could find on the what and the who  of this whole mess- waking up with Jason holding him and immediately thinking it was fine to go in for a kiss has him wary of the why for the moment. 

It's all finely carved marble, immaculate to the point of gleaming. The entire chamber looks like it was carved by a single piece- the columns, the floor, the ceiling-

"Hmm," Tim murmurs, paying entirely too much attention to the features on the columns in the room around them as he hears Jason shift behind him. "These are Corinthian in style, but I've never seen it done so seamlessly." He reaches out, running a hand over the transition from column to floor and can't even feel a seam.

"Incredible." He breathes. He wishes he had a camera- Cassie might have more insight on this place. Dr. Sandsmark would probably kill to see a place like this in all its glory. 

"Still doesn't fuckin' explain why we woke up naked together in a bed-" 

"Yeah, see, I'm trying to go for the possible part to solve, here." Tim mutters, "like where to find clothes, if we somehow ended up on Themyscira or something without being murdered. How to get out." 

"Though," Tim adds before Jason can open his mouth to butt in, "pretty sure even Themyscira wasn't carved out of a single piece of marble." He stands up from his crouch and turns to look at Jason again. The man has grabbed the bottom sheet and fashioned it around himself in a facsimile of a toga. 

"So, conclusion- you have no idea where we are." Jason sounds about as thrilled as he is by the prospect. 

"We have no idea where we are.” Tim corrects with a smile, “and there are no clothes set out and no immediately obvious doors. So." Tim sets out to fashion his own robe out of the sheet he had, noticing that Jason takes a turn to lift his gaze far and away from him as he does so. He appreciates the courtesy.

"You thinking magic?" Jason, once they are both as dressed as it was apparent they are going to be able to get, asks.

"Pretty high level stuff to even make this room, but- maybe? Come see if you recognize any of the inscriptions in here-" Tim waves him over to look at the intricately carved marble. 

"Huh," Jason scans the scenes carved around them- intricate battles and tender love scenes, violence and passion in equal measure. "This looks like it's from one of the epics. Haven't read that shit in years, but- this scene looks familiar." 

Tim blinks up at it and wishes, again, he'd listened better to either his parents' speculation about the classics or Cassie's wild stories about the pantheon she heard second and third hand from the Amazons. The woman is beautiful, chiton gown pulled up to her knees as she sits beside the bank of a river, holding a man in her arms. Her face is the picture of sorrow as she stares down at him during his last moments, if the blood seeping into the ground beside him the sculptor put in is any indication. 

"This is familiar." Tim agrees, eyes tracing the trail of blood as it gives way to blooms of wildflowers. Cassie was gonna give him so much shit for not knowing this. 

Or she would, if he ever told her about this. He has absolutely no intention of doing so.

He turns away, instead moving to inspect the bed. There were no seams there either, and the pedestal upon which that insanely comfortable mattress rested was also carved from the same source. 

It also has symbols carved into it, and one in particular had some things clicking in place for him. The pinks and reds that composed of the fine fabrics in the room- the gleaming white marble, polished and nearly pearlescent in the light, Corinthian style columns. the carved roses and seashells full of pearls-

"Aphrodite," he breathes, stepping back from the bed as if he'd discovered it was made of asbestos, "Jason- we woke up on an altar of Aphrodite." 

"Oh, shit. Then that's Adonis-" Jason snaps his fingers and points at the dying man carved into the wall, startling when the whole thing seems to split at a seam that definitely wasn't there and a woman walks in. 

"What are you two doing?" She doesn't waste time with niceties, the beautiful- and he's suspecting literal- goddess simply purses her perfect lips into a pout and stares at them. 

It hurts to look at her directly for too long, her beauty radiant in what might be a very literal sense. Her hair falls in a perfect cascade of waves and her eyes have the magnetism of a black hole- inevitable and endless. She is every inch the pure definition of beauty, turned up to a degree that simply made it undeniable that she was anything but a deity. 

Fear is not an improper response to being in her presence. Hopefully. Because Tim, well- this is scary. 

"You two awakened together upon the altar of Aphrodite- in my temple in Mount Olympus- and this is how you choose to use such a boon? Have the mortals gotten so blind to us as to have forgotten the meaning of our blessings?" She sounds disappointed and confused, and Tim very much wishes to fix that asap. How, is the question. Which- okay, he woke up naked on a bed with Jason Todd wrapped around him. He's pretty sure he knows the answer. How else is probably a better question.

Wasn't she supposed to be good at this? She's the goddess of love, right? How could she mess it up this much? 

"Uh," Tim says instead of any of that, shooting Jason a bewildered look. Were they supposed to wake up naked together and just go with it? "I'm so sorry, your Goddessness-" ugh, he really should've paid better attention when Cassie complained about the myriad and convoluted structure that was the pantheon and how they liked to be addressed- didn't they just turn people into swans when they angered them? Oh god- gods, whoops- between his and Jason's mouth they are definitely not getting out of here without one of them getting cursed. 

"But we're not lovers." Which feels ludicrous to even have to explain, much less to a literal goddess, but. This is apparently what his life has come to. He'll still take this over Ra's.

She shoots him an exasperated look, turning her gaze to Jason soon after. "I am aware of your history, mortals. As you seem to be- albeit somewhat- aware of mine." 

"Sure. But if you know ours then you've gotta know it's not a good history. No kinda foundation for whatever this is." Jason says, because apparently he can't stop being contrarian for one second to flatter a God that could curse them. Or- smite them, the right phrase was smite when done by a god, right?. 

They were totally gonna get smote. 

"New life blooms after the earth is scorched in flame, no matter how hot the fire." She answers easily, as if that solved everything. And- okay, she was a member of the pantheon, maybe it was that easy for them. Or maybe she couldn't admit when she made a mistake- she was a member of the pantheon, after all. 

"But it- it takes time and-" Tim realizes he's the one arguing now, looking at Jason instead of her with wide eyes. There is guilt there, on his face as he looks back at him and he has to turn his gaze back to the deity, her painful beauty less intense than the ache Jason's expression causes. "We haven't had nearly enough to be- to even be friends." 

In all honesty, he's pretty sure Jason still hates him. Sure, he'd slowly allowed the Bats to reach out without it ending literally explosively, but-

Jason avoided him pretty much all the time, and when they were forced together he was both prickly and quiet in a way he wasn't with the others. And look, Tim gets it- but he doesn't have to like that Jason still resents him for something he's not sorry for doing. It's the literal definition of an impasse. And a terrible foundation for much of anything beyond a begrudgingly allyship. 

"My husband is the god of war, I know how close mere passion and true love lie in the hearts of men." She waves her hand dismissively, "what you both feel for one another is certainly not neutrality, nor is it as far from love as you may believe." 

"So what?" Jason says with a glare, apparently eager to step into first place running for being smote. "You did this because you see potential here? Where does what we want factor into this?" 

It doesn't hurt, the acknowledgement that Jason would literally rather taunt a god into finding out what her specific brand of wrath looks like than even think of this as possible. Tim happens to share the sentiment, so it'd be really dumb to get his feelings hurt over the idea. 

Aphrodite regards Jason with an arched brow, somehow both radiating amusement and annoyance in the silent gesture. 

"You're being cruel, sister. That's my job." A thin woman interrupts as she saunters in the room, body wrapped in tight, tattered black fabric and head shaved. She's heavily ringed her eyes in kohl and is wearing an eternal smirk. 

Tim does recognize her almost immediately- the sheer amount of weird plots she's been linked to made it impossible not to. 

"Eris." He acknowledges with a neutral expression.  They were so, so, so utterly screwed. 

She sends him a grin that looks almost entirely like a sneer. "Dear sister, don't you think you should tell them why you believe in them so fiercely?" Eris continues as if he hadn't addressed her, looking over at her sister with that same smirk. 

"You know, Eris-" Aphrodite starts, looking between both of them with a slowly growing smile, "now that I've seen them together, I think this is going to be easier than you thought." 

Eris scowled, waving her hand between them to illustrate her point. "They woke up and immediately tried to escape this as if it were a trap. You're going to lose, sister. Best you accept it now." 

"I suppose we will see," Aphrodite answers easily, "much can change in a month, sister. You of all people should understand that." 

Tim balks, "lose?" He looks between the three entities in the room, horror dawning on his face. "Is this some game?" 

"Wait- and what's at the end of the month?" Jason pipes up as well, suspicion lining his features. 

"Why, your wedding, of course." Aphrodite answers. 

"Our-" Jason begins to sputter, eyes widening to saucers. Tim steps back, sitting heavily on the impossibly comfortable bed. 

"Yes," Aphrodite interrupts, looking between the both of them with a sternness her features have a difficult time pulling off. "I have not blessed a pair of mortals in quite some time, and we will celebrate the success of your anointed love in one month's time with the assembled gods of Mount Olympus-" 

"-or watch my dear sister crash and burn," Eris chimes in with a slightly manic glee, "and have to admit some things are impossible even to her." 

"-or I will be displeased with my chosen mortals." Aphrodite finishes the threat with a winning smile, gliding over Eris' interruption with ease. 

"So- let me get this straight," Jason starts, fingers rubbing at his temples as he does, "you abducted us, put us here together, and have chosen us for one another- to prove you can make even people who hate each other fall in love-" 

"-in a month's time-" Tim adds, resisting the urge to flop back on the bed and stare at the ceiling until his bones crumble to dust. 

"-after which we will be kidnapped again to get married-" 

"-if you can truthfully say you love one another." Eris added, sing-songy tone clearly indicating her thoughts on the odds of that happening, "those are the terms." 

"What if we can't?" Tim asks- blurts, really- because this was absolutely insane. He couldn't- with Jason in a month? 

"Then Eris will have six months to affect my domain without my interference." Aphrodite admits, staring hard at the both of them. 

Calling a god an idiot would be a mistake- Tim knows this, that these powerful beings are as temperamental as any human who grows up rarely hearing the word no, but- 

God, they were totally gonna lose. They were gonna lose and their entire world was going to be thrown into romantic chaos akin to what they were currently dealing with. 

"You've gotta be fuckin-" 

"-what do you get if you win?" Tim interrupts, shooting Jason what is probably a panicked look. 

"Eris must remove herself and her influence from the earthly plane for a year." Aphrodite grins, "her price for getting to choose the mortals I must bestow this gift upon." 

A year without strife. Huh. Tim looks Jason's way, who's fallen silent with a huge scowl on his features. 

Tim opens his mouth. Closes it. Sighs. He doesn't really know what to say, honestly. It's rare that there isn't something coming to him to say, even if it's incredibly stupid and deserves to stay in his brain where it belongs. 

"We will leave you two alone to discuss," Eris says, looping her arm around her sister's with the most smug grin. 

"You will be here until someone on your plane notices your absence," Aphrodite says, as if she's being gracious for roping them into this whole thing over ego. 

They leave as swiftly as they came, the room sealing itself off and the marble smoothing out any trace of their passage. 

Tim crawls into the bed, and, upon reaching a pillow, covers his face and screams into it. 

What the fuck were they supposed to do, now? 

Amazing how gun atp invented acting.

Crazy how motherfuckers still won't give him awards for not me.

the way haymitch must have seen it as all his ghosts coming back to haunt him at once when katniss walked onto the train with the face of burdock and asterid, the pin of maysilee, the voice of lenore dove, and a background so devastatingly similar to his own. of course sweetheart slipped out. and of course he did everything he could to keep her alive

Bobby was legit like, “my son’s cougar gf has left him to go find herself in Ireland. i must gift him something to make him happy so he’ll forget about her. ah yes! this ex-army medic will do nicely”

Btw this is literally how majority of the fandom be looking at you if you make a post talking about Eddie losing custody of Chris

Saw the official 9-1-1 page post a meme about theorizing what the second half of the season is about and of course the comments are flooded with bucktommy stans.

I cannot handle this shit anymore, they are pissing me off more than when Tommy was on the show.

All of them flooding the comments with hashtags about tuning in for Tommy. Are you all not fucking bored yet, HE ISNT COMING BACK! Buck and Tommy are NOT endgame! When is it gonna get through to your delusional asses.

Tim Minear already said the breakup will be overshadowed by Eddie and Tim Minear confirmed that Tommy wasn’t his last. Tim Minear confirmed that Tommy was ‘just a guy’ and wasn’t ever going to stick around long enough to have any kind of begins episodes. So when you all get pissy that he isn’t coming back, you all have yourselves to blame for not listening to the literal showrunner.

I’m sick and tired of not being able to look in the comment section without some talking about Tommy! LET IT FUCKING GO!! He’s not anymore important than any other love interests that Buck has had come and go.

Season 6!Eddie and season 1!Buck would fuck after 10 minutes of their meeting. Eddie would just grab this bratty twink by his thighs and fuck him near the wall