February recs

[spatz]

All 9-1-1 this month (except for a handful of others over at Pinboard)! A mix of gen and Buck/Eddie sorted from shortest to longest, because why not.

Solid Ground by @kingreywrites (gen)

"Hey Buckaroo," she says conversationally, as if any of this is a common occurrence. "I'm glad to see you awake, but please, whatever you do, don't move, okay?"
(Or, Hen is here to catch Buck when he falls. Literally.)

Tightly written rope rescue, with a warm Hen-Buck relationship and Hen being a badass.

flutter in the dovecote by KiaraSayre (gen + Buck/Eddie)

Buck, Eddie, and Bobby quarantine from a bird flu exposure, and everything's fine. Totally fine. They're handling it just fine.

This felt SOOOO MUCH like an actual (bottle) episode and now I dearly wish it was.

things you don't say reach me somehow anyway by @sibylsleaves (Buck/Eddie)

He writes CHRISTOPHER at the top of the page in capital letters. Underneath it goes BUCK. Then PEPA, CARLA, CHIM, HEN and so on until he has fifteen names listed out. Fifteen people to show his appreciation for.
He starts with the easiest name first.
or, Eddie tells the family he chose how much they mean to him. All of them except one.

So sweet and affecting, with plenty of bonus Fire Fam feels while Eddie's therapy homework leads him to figure out the true shape of Buck in his life.

Winter Prayer by @cal-daisies-and-briars (gen)

When a work conflict prevents Athena from accompanying Bobby to Minnesota for the ten year anniversary of his family dying, Buck and May offer to go instead. Over the course of the trip, they all learn more about each other, and Bobby faces his grief.

Quiet and occasionally devastating, with a truckload of soft found family dynamics along for the roadtrip.

piece by piece, you filled the holes that were burned in me by polish_amber / @the-amber-raven (gen)

Buck didn’t see Hen and Chimney exchanging knowing smirks and he was still muffling his groans against the table when they went over to the kitchen to refill their coffee mugs and had a hushed conversation:
“Should we tell him that Bobby also asks for feedback?”
“Nah,” Hen replied mischievously. “I kind of want to hear what he’ll come up with on the spot.”
5 times Bobby has feedback for Buck during his annual review, and the one time Buck gets a perfect score and has some feedback of his own.

Such a fun use of that bit of canon, and great snapshots of their changing dynamic across the years.

I'll Scrawl it on Every Wall I See by @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels (Buck/Eddie)

When Eddie joins the 118, he and Buck don't exactly hit it off on the right foot. Or continue to walk on the right foot. In fact they kind of can't stand each other.
Good thing they each have a beloved anonymous pen pal to share their daily woes with, someone completely unlike their insufferable coworker.
Or, in which Buck and Eddie love each other before they know each other, and know each other before they love each other.

Delightful epistolary identity porn! Very very classic set up but the execution is *chefkiss* perfect.

Evan Buckley & The Coma-Verse of Madness by @cal-daisies-and-briars (Buck/Eddie)

After being struck by lightning on a call, Buck experiences a plethora of alternate realities showing him different directions his life could have taken. Fighting hard to get home, Buck learns what, or who, is important to him in every lifetime.

Great varation on 6x11 (the coma-dream episode), with gorgeous characterization. Emotionally devastating at times, but also devastatingly romantic.