#also after this albert gets ice cream on his nose and tangles his legs with ravi and ravi lets him bc hes sooo whipped hehe

[chefbuck]

WAIT i had one more idea 😭 🎡 with hanikkar since we talked abt them the other day

🎡 state fair / carnival / first date

If Ravi knew that joining the 118 would lead him to becoming the worst cliche, he would have decided to make him parents proud and became an engineer. 

OK. That might be a bit dramatic, but granted recent events, Ravi feels like he’s earned the rights to a few dramatics. 

Look, before Ravi joined the 118, he was not the skittish timid guy the station knows him to be. He was charming and cool. Chill, even. The Aunties would squeeze his cheeks, his sister’s friends would whisper around him, and he knew how to be smooth with the girls. And then Buck barked at him and Buck chased him with a chainsaw and Eddie sent him a surprising amount of death glares for someone he barely spoke to. Then, Chimney invited Ravi to his little brother’s firefighter physical exam. That was the first time Ravi felt truly a part of the 118 family. 

Ravi now knows he prefers the family he was born with. 

It’s not that there’s anything bad about the people in the 118. Other than Buck and Eddie making everyone suffer and witness their divorced antics, and the majority of A-Shift being incredibly codependent, they’re not evil people. They’re just… all encompassing. And while Albert doesn’t work at the 118, he is Chimney’s brother so somehow he bleeds the gray area. 

Albert is… If Ravi is chill (or was chill, whatever), then Albert is the King of Casual. He’s big smiles, happy-go-lucky, says everything on his mind as honest as possible. And touchy. So touchy. It’s mainly his hands, poking Ravi in the arm to get his attention, pinching him at the waist to make him squirm, patting him on the back in laughter, hand on his knee because why fucking not at this point. He’s also done a fair share of nudging Ravi’s foot under the table, knocking shoulders in passing, and of course the head to Ravi’s shoulder. Usually when this happens they’re at Ravi’s apartment or it’s a moment in passing when they’re walking into a crowded coffee shop, and Ravi can just pretend that he’s not completely bugging out. It’s worse when Albert does it around the team, but no one’s said anything so somehow Ravi’s in the clear? 

But now, at the LA County Fair, Albert just grabs Ravi’s hand in his own like this is normal behavior between them, and pulls him running through the crowd, saying, “Come on!” Ravi has no choice but to let himself be tugged. 

It’s so dumb the way Albert’s eyes light up and his face splits into a grin when they land in front of one of the carnival games. He looks at Ravi with no words, just his wide mouthed smile, as if he knows that Ravi’s a goner and there’s no chance on earth he’s going to be able to refuse. And it’s so utterly stupid. It’s one of those ring toss games that you see in movies to win an overpriced stuffed animal. 

Ravi rolls his eyes. “These games are rigged,” he says, because he feels it’s his duty to steer his non-American-born friend away from tourist traps. 

But Albert’s the type of person who might say that he is technically a tourist (he’s lived in California for years now) and traps are just an escape room waiting to happen (no that’s not true Albert, please tell me you know how an escape room works). Albert’s grin shifts into a smirk. “You’re just scared you’ll lose.” 

To which Ravi laughs at Albert’s smug naivety. 

They both lose, terribly, but Ravi’s not too bummed. He knew the outcome anyways so as not to get his hopes up, plus everytime Albert threw his foam ring, he had such a cute concentration face, the kind where his nose got a little scrunched up and his tongue sticks out comically between his lips. So when Albert, who has never before experienced the disappointment that is losing to a carnival game, is clearly bummed by not being able to win the green dinosaur plushie he was bragging about, Ravi has no choice but to cheer him up.

Ravi tugs on the armsleeve of Albert’s shirt. “Come on. Now that you’ve experienced the American disappointment of carnival losing, lets balance you out with a carnival joy.” 

Albert raises an eyebrow, because sure, this is just another thing he’s able to do. “Which is?” 

Ravi nods his head towards the giant banner not too far from them. “Funnel cake.” 

Just that easily, Albert is smiling again and grabbing onto Ravi’s hand to pull them forward. Whatever, fine. In movement, Ravi can be normal. He can pretend normal. 

Except this time, Albert doesn’t let go of his hand. He just chats Ravi’s ear off about his week and comparing how different American fairs are from the one’s in Korea and probably something else about Chimney because Albert loves talking about his brother. Only this time Ravi is only half listening because he’s so distracted by the fact that Albert is still holding his hand at the county fair like they’re two guys on a date and not something else entirely. Ravi is trying so hard not to look down at their hands (even though he really wants to) just in case that would be the very thing to make Albert drop them. And yes, Ravi is a total cliche by being the type of gay guy that catches feelings for their pathetically straight friend, but also who cares because Albert’s hands are softer than he would have imagined with just a few rough spots, like the hand that’s new to heavy duty work. 

Albert doesn’t let go of his hand until they hand him the funnel cake.