I would love to see some Ruca! Whatever you have I’m happy to read 💜
Hi nonnie, thank you so much for this ask. This is my first time writing ruca but certainly not my last because I had a lot of fun with them and have completely fallen in love with this pairing. So of course, this turned out longer than I expected. Oops. But here's some 1.3k words of soft, fluffy with a dash of emotional hurt/comfort ruca. Enjoy. (thank you @fuselsstuff for cheering me on 😘✨)
The sky is still painted in deep indigo, gradually giving way to streaks of blue and lavender, a line of pale peach at the horizon. Luca is somewhere out there in the water, his board slicing through the cool waves, completely in his element.
Rocker, half-asleep on a towel in the sand, hoodie pulled over his head, arms folded behind him as a makeshift pillow yawns for the millionth time. He’s not built for these ungodly morning hours. Not outside of work at least. He briefly misses the warmth of their bed, before dismissing the thought. Luca needs this. And whatever he needs, Rocker does his absolute best to fulfill.
His gut clenches as he remembers the past few weeks, how Luca had been beating himself up—ever since that one mission went wrong in the worst way possible. They’d lost a whole family at the hands of overzealous white nationalists. And even though they’d tried their best, done everything they possibly could, Luca blamed himself for failing. Rocker had tried to be there for his boyfriend, but he’d had a hard time getting through to him.
Luca had been quiet in the aftermath. Withdrawn. Keeping to himself and avoiding any talk of work or what had happened. It had gutted Rocker to see the bright, easy glow of his boyfriend dimmed like that. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Luca laugh, let alone smile.
Rocker had hatched a plan to remedy that. He’d gone to Commander Hicks, convinced him to give them both the day off, stocked up on all of Luca’s favorite breakfast foods, packed a picnic, and gotten Luca’s favorite surfboard serviced—repairing all the dings and giving it a fresh wax and shine. All of it completely worth it for the small smile that bloomed across Luca’s face when he saw it, the sight of which warmed something in him, the part that had been worrying endlessly over Luca. Before long, Rocker had bundled him into the car and taken off toward the coast.
Now, the waves roll in with a rhythmic roar, crashing against the sand with a harsh slap before retreating in a faint hiss of foam. And Luca is finally where he belongs—out in the surf, where the world makes sense again.
Rocker watches him for a while, the way his body flows with each swell, muscles coiled and shifting, balancing on the board like it’s an extension of himself. There’s a kind of poetry to it he can’t help but admire. Luca looks free out there. Untouchable. Untamed. And Rocker thinks he’s never loved him more than in this moment.
Soon, he’s lulled by the steady rise and fall of the ocean, until his eyelids begin to get heavier. He doses off somewhere in the rhythm of the waves and the soft caress of the breeze.
He only stirs when he feels a gentle touch at his scalp, fingers threading softly through his hair. A quiet hum slips from his chest, pleased, and he cracks one eye open.
His breath catches at the vision before him.
Luca is lying on his side, propped up on an elbow, golden light stretching behind him as the sun creeps up above the horizon. His blond hair gleams under the early morning rays almost like a heavenly halo. Rocker blinks, dazed and a little in awe.
Gorgeous, he thinks.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Luca murmurs, smiling down at him, blue eyes holding a spark of life he hasn’t seen in days.
Rocker grins, still half-lost in sleep. “Baby, somebody better call God, ‘cause he’s missing an angel.”
Luca throws his head back and laughs, full and warm. Rocker hadn’t realized how much he’d missed that sound until now. And impossibly, he wishes he could bottle it up, keep it with him forever. Instead, he settles for the promise of making Luca laugh for the rest of their lives.
“Does 50-squad know their hotshot leader has those kinds of pickup lines in his back pocket?” Luca teases, eyebrows raised.
“Hey now,” Rocker says, mock-offended. “My pickup lines are amazing.”
Luca snorts, shaking his head. “Well, they work on me…so I guess they’re something.”
They both look at each other like lovesick idiots as they lapse into silence and neither minding it one bit.
“You didn't have to come with me,” Luca says quietly, his thumb brushing gently over Rocker’s temple. “I know how much you like your sleep.”
“I don't mind.“ Rocker sits up slowly. “Dom…you needed this. And I wanted to be here with you. For you.”
Luca mirrors him, sitting up as well.
Rocker glances behind him and reaches for the cooler he’d hauled out of the car as soon as Luca had hit the waves, setting it between them.
“What's this?”
”This,” Rocker says with a little grin and a dramatic flair of his hands, “is our breakfast.”
Luca tilts his head, something dawning on him then. “Wait…did you—did you plan all this? I mean, besides the surfing. Waking up early, picking my favorite spot, a breakfast picnic…” He trails, eyes wide, looking like he can’t quite believe anyone would do something like this for him.
And that just won’t do, Rocker thinks. After everything he does—for his friends, for his family, for SWAT. For him. Luca deserves the world. Rocker counts his lucky stars every damn day that he’s the one that gets to show Luca now, in all the small and tender ways, how sweet he is. How deserving he is of romance, happiness and someone taking care of him for once.
Rocker chuckles, already digging into the cooler and pulling things out. “A picnic by the ocean, with the sun coming up and—” he pulls out his phone, tapping to start a soft, romantic playlist “—some music? Maybe. I am capable of romance, you know.”
“Donnie…” Luca breathes out, eyes shining. He takes Rocker’s hand, squeezing it like he needs the anchor. “Hold on—you got Hicks to give both of us the day off so you could take me on a romantic sunrise picnic? Did you actually tell him that?”
Rocker shrugs, all casual mischief. “Please. The man’s a big softie. Of course I told him.”
“Wow.” Luca shakes his head, that glowing smile back in full force. And Rocker thinks, there’s my Dominique. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
Rocker brings Luca’s hand to his mouth, pressing soft kisses all over his knuckles and palm before looking into his eyes. “Baby, you deserve this and more.”
Luca’s expression cracks a little, vulnerability slipping through. “I’m sorry. I haven't been much fun lately. That must have been frustrating, I—”
“Dom, hey. No.” Rocker places a gentle hand on Luca’s face, thumb brushing soothingly over his cheek. “That mission was rough. Losing that family…baby, I get it. Sometimes it’s hard to let those things go. And that's okay. We’re only human. The only thing I hate is not being able to help you. You know I'm here for you, right?”
“I know…I do.” Luca’s voice wobbles just a touch. “I just didnt wanna be a burden.”
“You've never been a burden,” Rocker says firmly, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of Luca’s nose. “And you never will be. You can lean on me, okay?”
Luca sniffles, but smiles. “You are pretty sturdy.”
“That I am,” Rocker replies smugly, leaning back and throwing him a wink.
Luca laughs, bumping their shoulders together. “Yeah yeah. So what's for breakfast?”
“One-track mind, I swear,” Rocker teases, passing him a thermos and a wrapped muffin.
“You know I love to eat.”
“I do know,” Rocker says fondly, handing over a few more things from the cooler.
They eat together, joking back and forth as the sun climbs higher into the sky—bright and golden, the world around them warming with it. Rocker watches Luca between bites, notices the way his shoulders have loosened. His hands move with ease as he tells a story from his rookie days, voice animated, eyes alight. The tightness around them has eased.
Rocker exhales, full of relief and quiet contentment. For now, they've chased the dark clouds away.
And, his sunshine is back.
