ludibrium pelagis

This was a result of me trying to write the "coffee shop" prompt I got for AU roulette. (No dice though, this is not that.)

It's set post-season 9. Who knows what plans or thoughts there are wrt Tommy, but it's probably not this. I don't know if I'll do anything more with this seed of an idea, but it's maybe something?

---

Chimney spots him first. Buck looks up from his phone when he hears him say, "Hey, if it isn't my favorite firefighter pilot!"

Buck notes the use of the my absently. Chim probably isn't sure where Buck stands anymore after he stopped talking about Tommy. He never stopped thinking about him, but he could take a hint about things people wanted him to stop mentioning.

Tommy, who Buck is surprised but not surprised he didn't recognize, looks up. That's more than just the usual stubble Tommy lets — or let? — himself grow on his days off and his curls are much longer too. He looks good. The way the sunlight frames his face draws Buck's gaze to his distinctive nose. His lips part slightly, surprise registering for a moment before his expression becomes that devastatingly familiar blank.

I prove my coworkers were right when they insinuated I was gay.

I answer a call from a colleague who last spoke to me years ago to ask for a favor.

I help save the first two big names of the show.

I become besties with one of the characters who is also a veteran.

Everyone thinks I'm so cool!

I kiss a guy and he discovers his bisexuality. I call him Evan when everyone calls him Buck.

I win a medal with my former coworkers and my current boyfriend.

I hear a homophobic slur from my former captain who happens to remind me of my father, whom I don't speak to.

I take care of my injured boyfriend and I attend a funeral for a cowboy ghost who cursed my boyfriend.

I date this guy for 6 months and transform his life, making it one of the happiest relationships he's ever had.

I prove I was here all along since I messed up the love life of the first season's protagonist, who happens to be my boyfriend's first love.

I break up with him because I'm afraid he'll break my heart after suddenly asking me to move in with him.

I run and struggle with the urge to call him, driving past his house.

I meet him again, have sex with him in the house that used to belong to his best friend, whom I was jealous of.

I run again because he said he didn't need to have feelings for me.

I answer a call from him months later, asking for a favor.

I run from the army by performing insane escape maneuvers with a helicopter.

I help save my former coworker who once saved my life.

I also do all this because my ex-boyfriend asked me to.

I become one of the pallbearers for the captain who saw me as a good person.

I disappear from my ex-boyfriend's life, from everyone's life, but I'm still remembered as the last real relationship he had, and one he still hasn't been able to move on from.

Not because of the stories themselves, although they always manage to destroy me in the best possible ways, but because I was struck all over again by the sheer love and care that this community has poured into bucktommy. Every fic feels like a gift. Every author saw something special in these characters and decided they were worth exploring, worth understanding, worth fighting for. The talent in this fandom genuinely amazes me. The way writers captured their chemistry, their potential, all the little moments and possibilities left between the lines leaves me in awe every time.

But then there's this sadness that creeps in alongside it. Because no matter how many incredible stories I read, there's always the knowledge that the actual show writers are never going to give Buck and Tommy the story they deserved. They'll never get the care, development, and payoff that so many fic writers have given them for free. They'll never get the chance to become what they could have been on our TV screens.

That's why this fandom means so much to me, because while the show has moved on, this community hasn't. People keep writing. Keep creating. Keep imagining a future where Buck and Tommy are allowed to matter. A future where their relationship is treated with the depth and respect it deserves. And honestly, most of those fan fics feel more real and more emotionally satisfying than anything the show could have given us.

I still love BuckTommy. I probably always will. I still believe they deserved better, but today, more than anything, I'm grateful. Grateful for every writer, grateful for every fic that gave them another chance. Grateful for a community that refused to let a story end just because the show decided it was over.

Thank you for keeping them alive. ❤️

I’ll start, anyone can add on!

===

“So here’s the thing: if you do this exercise with the weights and you don’t already have the insane core strength that this guy has, you’re gonna hurt your lower back.” Buck hits pause on his TikTok and glares at the screen before turning his phone around to Maddie. “See? He keeps making these reactions to whatever I post! Literally, who asked him?”

Maddie hits play and her eyebrows climb. “Let’s see… junebug06, ferality, ponypilates underscore 90, samthewise…” She’s interrupted by Buck snatching the phone back with a scowl. Grinning, she reaches across the cafe table and pokes his shoulder. “He said you have insane core strength, so that is a compliment, isn’t it?”

Buck pouts. “Every time I have a video with a new exercise, he reacts with a criticism. The only time he didn’t bitch about my exercise was when I did the Arnold press.”

“What did Coach Tommy say about that?”

A faint heat creeps into Buck’s cheeks. “…that I have perfect form.”

Maddie shrugs and steals a sweet potato fry off Buck’s plate. “Sounds like he isn’t targeting you for criticism.” She slides her brother’s phone towards herself again and clicks through to the account of Coach_Tommy and scrolls through the videos he has put up. “And he doesn’t just react to your videos, he reacts to several others.”

“It still feels personal, though,” Buck grumbles, but lets himself enjoy the rest of lunch with his busy sister.

Buck has never thought of himself becoming an influencer. BodyBuck was never meant to be a big thing, just a distraction from PT and recertification, but when Bobby and the LAFD didn’t let him go back to work, Buck threw himself into his physical fitness and posted his workouts as a Fuck You to the LAFD and to Bobby too, a way to prove that he was well able to meet the demands of his job. Then the lawsuit happened and he was never going to be welcomed back to the 118 after that, so he decided to just keep posting workout videos. And when the pandemic hit, he also became a global hit.

And then Coach_Tommy started reacting to his most popular videos with criticism. It bums Buck out to have some guy whose account has barely a twentieth of Buck’s followers comment on the exercises he does. The thing is, this Tommy guy isn’t mean or smug about it. He is super objective, so whenever Buck looks at his own form after listening to whatever Tommy says about it, he spots the same problem.

It is aggravating.

And this Tommy guy is also aggravatingly handsome, with waves of dark hair and a Roman nose and striking blue eyes bracketed with crow’s feet and he has a cleft in his chin. And his ears are pierced. From the many photos and videos Tommy has posted, he has no visible tattoos, but he has a gnarly scar across his ribs that look a bit like petals scattering in the wind.

At least Maddie doesn’t tease Buck on his nemesis. Eddie thinks it’s ridiculous that Buck is so hung up on the guy’s reactions. “Just block him if his reactions bother you so much.”

He isn’t going to block Coach_Tommy. Sometimes, Buck tries out the exercises Tommy recommends for those who need less challenging workouts, especially on the days when his leg isn’t as good, and the exercises always wear him out just enough. If Coach_Tommy is worse at his job, maybe Buck will feel better about the critique. As it is, Tommy knows what he’s doing.

===

On AO3

In the hidden heart of London, ancient magic stirs and monsters walk in the shadows.

Detective Alexander Pankhurst never expected his new assignment to uncover a world of impossible creatures, forgotten bargains, and centuries-old secrets.

Together with DI Tristan Locryn, a druid bound by old magic and older promises, he must investigate the impossible before it spills into the ordinary world.

There's also the very entertaining b plot of James 'I dislike creatures AND shenanigans' Lester being put in charge of the Creatures and Shenanigans department.

And he doesn't quit. Doesn't even consider the possibility. He just hangs out, makes unpleasant faces, occasionally a snarky comment. Even when he literally gets mauled. He just dourly does his job and tries to keep the dinosaurs away from his good suit.

The Firefox "AI kill switch" is here.

Go to Settings > AI controls. There, you can toggle the "master kill switch" on to fully block all the features, which means two things:

you won't see them,

you can't even be asked about them.

The default state is, like before, "available". This means the features are NOT on by default (they never were), but Firefox will let you know about them where they exist (e.g. when you create your first tab group) so that you can choose to opt in.

Please note that Firefox for Android or iOS have never included AI features, so you won't see these settings on your smartphones or tablets.

open with open windows in summer, cause hot,