I wrote a short and sweet BuckRavi coda to 9x08, because of course I did. They're not together but are aware that they have feelings for each other.
Ravi's laying in bed, half awake scrolling through his socials mindlessly when the phone in his hand starts buzzing. It's no surprise to see Buck's name on the screen, there'd been a few texts here and there over the course of what sounded like a disaster of a shift. He kinda assumed he'd hear from Buck sooner rather than later.
"Hey. How was dinner, man?"
"Rav."
Shit. That tone is never good. Sitting up suddenly Ravi sends four cats scurrying in different directions, claws scratching the floor as they run. "What happened?" Who hurt you?
"Dinner was not just dinner. It was an intervention. For…Chimney."
"For firing Hen." It's not a question, this is exactly the kind of bullshit Ravi saw coming. "Fucking hell. Kinda glad I'm several states away at the moment."
"I'm not," Buck sighs, voice cracking the tiniest bit.
That statement is a little surprising because before Ravi left, they had disagreed on the Hen vs Chimney thing. All it took was him bringing up that he knows exactly what it's like to be scared of a diagnosis and would still never put lives in danger like that to have Buck back down the tiniest bit. It felt a little too close to 'playing the cancer card' that Ravi asked if they could just leave it there, and so they did.
"She-Hen said she hid that she's been sick to protect us. And that-that she lost a friend but no one has asked how she's been-"
"She said that in front of his widow?"
"Yeah…"
"And in front of you who mastered grief questionnaires? You, who's been up everyone's ass making sure they were okay?"
"Yeah…I mean you're making it sound like I did more than I actually did. I should have done better. More." There's a heavy sigh and Ravi realizes he can hear Buck's footsteps, doing some serious pacing. "Hen passed out after saying all that. Stood up, then immediately went down hard. She's okay now. Karen texted me they have an official diagnosis and a plan forward so…that's good, right?"
"Right. I'm glad she's going to get the treatment and help she needs."
"Yeah, me too."
From Buck's tone, Ravi can tell that's not all that happened. There's something else that he's either struggling to find the words to explain, or deciding if it's even worth bringing up. So Ravi does what he does best, and encourages Buck to say more with a soft, "Buck?"
"There was this moment…" He goes quiet for a few seconds and Ravi has to choke down the offer to come home early because that would be insane. Jumping on a plane and flying home because Buck's kinda sad is way too much. They're friends, but not like that. "Kind of unprompted, Chimney made it a point to say that if it had been me doing that, I would have been fired in a heartbeat."
"What the fuck?" Fully standing up, Ravi starts to pace himself in an attempt to ease the agitation under his skin. "Why did you need to be brought into it?"
The line is quiet again, Ravi can tell Buck is still there but the silence breaks something in him. Flying home early would be objectively crazy. That move would be putting all his cards on the table and that's not something he's ready for. There is something else he could do…
"You're off until Monday, right?" Sitting back down, Ravi grabs his laptop off the bedside table and starts typing and clicking away. He's in fix it mode and yeah, going home for Buck would be too much. The other way though…
"Yeah. I'll be over it by then, I just-"
"Come here." Before Buck can argue, because he definitely will, Ravi keeps going, "I'll buy your tickets. Come spend the next couple days with me and we'll fly back together Sunday night." It'd barely be 48 hours, but that's better than nothing. A change in scenery always helps.
In a soft, grumbly voice Buck says, "I can buy my own plane ticket."
"Too late. Leaving LAX at 7:30 okay for you? Boarding starts at 7:05."
"Yeah." Ravi can hear the smile in Buck's voice and that tells him he's doing the right thing here. "Where even are you?"
"Park City." All Ravi had said was that he was visiting his parents out of state, he doesn't like to offer up details at work anymore when it's not really necessary. Lately when talking to Buck though, it's completely different. "My parent's have a place up in the mountains. Come. There's snow on the ground outside, a fireplace inside, more cats than reasonable, I saw a moose this morning. It's a good place to just…get away."
There's barely really been a confirmation on Buck's side, but Ravi moves forward with the booking anyway. The line goes quiet again as he fills out all the things he knows by heart; Buck's full name, birth date, whether he wants a window or an aisle seat. He also knows Buck can hear the typing and if he wanted Ravi to stop then he would say so.
Considering Buck's love for jackets, Ravi wonders whether paying for a checked bag would be too much. He doesn't have to think about it long because Buck takes a big breath and asks, "Do we-do we have to come back Sunday? A lot of people owe us favors we could…" He trails off and Ravi's heart squeezes in his chest, this is as close as Buck's going to get to actually asking for what he wants.
"If we asked nicely, my parents would probably let us move in. They only come here a few times a year and it would save them tons on cleaning services-"
"Shut the fuck up."
"I'm just saying," Ravi says with a laugh. If he closes his eyes, he can perfectly see the vibrant blush that's surely taken over Buck's face. Less than 12 hours and he's going to see that blush in person, away from the 118 and all the drama that comes with it. Checked bag it is. "Yeah, Buck. We definitely have enough favors to get us through next week. So…nine days? Return next Sunday?"
"Perfect," Buck says breathlessly. "Your parents will be okay with it?" With me?
"Oh yeah for sure. I've uh-talked about you a couple times. Here and there. Sometimes. Maybe. Once or twice." Ravi coughs and glares at the nearest cat like it's their fault he's making a fool of himself. "My mom would love to show you some recipes."
"That sounds...really nice. Thank you, Rav. Send me the flight info and I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah you will. Get some sleep."
Huffing out a laugh, Buck says, "I don't think that's gonna happen, but I'll try."
Just a little snippet of my BuckRavi fic where Buck leaves the 118:
The man in the attic doesn't get brought up again over the shift unless it's for a little jab here and there. When walking through a house turned duplex to find their medical call, Chimney points up at the entrance to the attic and makes some kind of joke. Buck doesn't really hear it because the sight of the dumb little drawstring triggers a brief and unsettling fear deep within him.
What he does hear, is the way Ravi's voice drops low when he says, "That wasn't funny, Captain." With how sarcastic he can be no one can really tell if he's being serious or not, and Ravi doesn't help them try to figure it out by just responding with a terse, "What do you think?" when asked.
Their eyes meet briefly and when Ravi's icy demeanor melts away just for him, Buck thinks his heart might explode. It's not a new feeling either, just an ignored one.
That's where it ends since they've found their caller and it's time to work, but Buck feels lighter than a feather the rest of the morning. No one else seems to pick up on the way Ravi's drawn clear lines in the sand. Or maybe with sand, like they had done at the rogue car emergency.
"Like a demon!" Buck had said then. Who's the demon in this scenario?
A Dead Like Me 911 & 911 Lonestar AU with a Buddie slow-ish burn! Rated E for eventual smut, 7/10 chapters up, current word count: 35,459
Summary:
Dead Like Me AU where Buck dies but doesn't get to move on, instead he stays earth-side as a Grim Reaper. Despite his mentor Bobby's vocal disapproval, he refuses to let his old life go. When the 118 replace him with some hot shot from Texas, Buck feels intrinsically drawn to the man despite himself. He didn't mean to fall in love! Really, he didn't. But when he does, what will it mean for his new (after)life?
Hardwon would let Moonshine peg him but he wouldn't let her know he enjoyed it. He would just keep dropping really obvious hints until it's "her idea" to do it again.
You continue to have the best takes. You’re absolutely right and should scream it from the rooftops.
Also this inspired me oops…
It’s been a long time since he’s seen Moonshine, easily the longest they’ve gone without seeing each other. It doesn’t matter though. Once his eyes lap on her, it’s like no time has passed at all. Like they’re youngins out trying to save the world again. After the welcome home Jamboreen, the pair sneak away to lie together under the crescent moon. The air in the crick muggier than usual which has brought out all the creatures and critters to sing their song. There’s simply nothing better as Hardwon looks to his crick elf and smiles.
“I was thinking about that…thing we tried last time.”
A nannerfly buzzes by, highlighting just how long the silence stretches before Moonshine meets his gaze.
“And what were ya thinkin’ bout it specifically?”
With a cough, Hardwon struggles for a second to find the right words before landing on a simple, “We could do it again.” Subtle. Chill. Good job, Surefoot.
“Oh, Hardwon! You don’t got to say that.” Under the pale moon her smile is the sun, her laugh the air he breathes. “I appreciate that you were open enough to try it-“
“No, Moonshine. We absolutely could-“
She just laughs again and rolls her eyes playfully before taking his hand. Their fingers twine together seamlessly, her palm is so warm against his.
When Moonshine looks back up towards the sky, Hardwon’s frustrations bubble over. One of the few things he well and truly hates is trying to find the right words. Words are difficult, they’re easy to say but just as easy to misinterpret. There’s no way he’ll outright say what he wants. That’s…that’s too personal. There has to be some way for him to get his point across.
“Do you not want to?” Suddenly feeling insecure, Hardwon releases her hand and runs it over his beard repeatedly.
“I never said that.” She hasn’t moved, but she’s watching him a lot more closely now. No one will ever know Hardwon Surefoot as well as Moonshine Cybin.
“But you’re saying no?”
“I’d never say no to you, Hardwon,” she says sweetly, her hand finding his again in the dark and giving it a gentle squeeze. Her fist might as well be around his heart because that somehow squeezes uncomfortably too.
“Then you should fuck me.” There. He said it. Done.
“Let’s head back to my stump and we can rut in missionary, completely clinical like the high elves do.”
This is one of the many, many things that he loves about her. It’s the god damn hospitality that gets him going, makes it all go from a want to a need. He really thought he could spin this in a way that makes her think it was her idea, but he’s much too impatient to keep running in these circles.
There’s nothing else for Hardwon to do so he sits up. When Moonshine follows suit he looks her dead in the eye and announces, “I WANT IT!”
A flicker of understanding crosses her beautiful face and she stands up, pulling Hardwon with her. “Well now yelling ain’t gonna get you nowhere, now is it? I s’pose if you ask real nice I’ll think about it. But not here. I’m the only one allowed to see you beg.”
This is just chapter one! I’m not sure out of how many, but it is fully finished.
When You Gonna Take Me Out?
Rated: E for smut in later chapters, Word Count: 2,875
Summary:
A collection of moments before, during, and after Buck and Ravi's secret relationship. How long could they possibly sneak around until someone figures it out?
Takes place after the cruise ship disaster, during the time Gerrard is captain and Bobby's 'retired'.
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You’d think Buck feels feverish because of the fact they're surrounded by literal fire and the building's coming down around them. Not at all. That barely even registers to him. It actually has everything to do with the way Ravi is looking at him. His expression is so soft and open, eyes carefully watching Buck's face for his reaction to how close they still are. Buck's sure he's making the same face, if not even more love-struck. His hand on Ravi's face-no, his mask!- feels so...intimate, despite the multiple layers of clothes and equipment separating their skin.
He's thinking about whether the flames make this moment more or less romantic, when more debris falls nearby. Without any more delay, they're scrambling cartoonishly to the window for extraction hand in hand (or glove in glove).
