father figure · dry wit · anxious · grounded · family drama · protective · weary · loyal · domestic · straight man
The air in Maddie’s dining room hung heavy, thick with the scent of roasted vegetables and unspoken judgment. The Buckleys sat stiffly, his father a statue of polite silence, his mother radiating a cold, brittle disappointment that seemed to warp the very furniture. Buck’s knuckles were white around his fork, the metal digging into his palm as he stared at the untouched food. Beside him, Eddie was a quiet anchor, his presence the only thing keeping Buck from unraveling. The camera pans to Buck’s mother, her smile sharp enough to cut glass, as she finally speaks, the question hanging in the stagnant air like a guillotine blade waiting to drop.