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It was closing in on hour eight of an already long twenty four hour shift when he got the news.
Not that he wasn’t expecting the news, but it was starting to feel like he’d never get to take that next step forward. It had been a long time coming, at any rate.
Ravi had been up helping Cap with their evening meal when he found out. Normally it would have been Buck or Eddie assisting (now that Eddie could be trusted to not set water on fire), but they both had taken a personal day to surprise Christopher with a trip to Disneyland in honor of his birthday. Ravi had volunteered to be Cap’s sous chef in their absence.
“So, Ravi,” Cap said, not taking his eyes off of the cheese he was grating for his baked macaroni and cheese recipe. “Have you had any thoughts as to who you want to invite for your ceremony?”
Ravi stilled the knife in his hand. “My ceremony, sir?” he asked, looking towards the man with a confused look on his face.
Cap paused in his grating. “Your probation is ending and you’re getting your shield next week,” he said. “Didn’t I-”
“I thought everyone forgot about that. With everything that’s been happening, I figured I’d just get it handed to me at the start of a shift,” Ravi said, lowering his voice. But he wasn’t lying. With all the chaos of Jonah’s near rampage, on top of everyone getting dragged into the chief’s office because of what Buck’s ex had said on TV, as well as Hen and Karen’s vow renewal, he had figured that they were just going to move on. And he didn’t mind that, not at all.
Okay, well, maybe he minded a little bit.
“Ravi, why would you think that we wouldn’t want to celebrate your promotion from probation?” Cap looked almost disappointed at the thought.
“I just thought-”
Bobby shook his head. “We always at least try to do some sort of ceremony. If that’s something you’d want, that is.”
The probie paused. “I mean, yeah, it would be nice for my parents to see it. And I think my girlfriend would be really happy as well.” He snapped his mouth shut. He hadn’t mentioned his girlfriend around any of the 118, mostly because she had asked that they not announce it just yet. Please don’t ask who she is, Cap. Your wife will shoot me.
Cap nodded. “Okay, so that’s at least three people. Let me get this in the oven and we can plan.” He put the finishing touches on the dish and slid it into the preheated oven. As soon as the door closed, he muttered to himself, “Do not tell Buck. He’ll be crushed he didn’t get any.”
Ravi snorted. “He’s at Disneyland. They probably have decent food.”
A few minutes later, Ravi had finished up with the salad and the two firefighters had moved to the table with a clipboard and lists scattered in front of them.
“Wow, Cap, you’re all prepared,” Ravi said, taking in the notes.
Bobby nodded. “You’re the third probie that’s graduated under my watch. I hope I have this in hand by now.”
“Who was before me? Eddie, right?”
“Yes, and Buck before him. Now, Eddie had a large ceremony, with his family flying in from Texas. Buck just asked for a small dinner, no guests. It’s all up to you.”
Ravi paused at the thought. “No party for Buck? I’m surprised,” he said, though not unkindly. More… contemplative.
The captain leaned back in his chair a bit. “It was a combination of a five alarm fire and some personal reasons. You can always ask him when they get back. But he didn’t mind. I think he was just happy to have it at that point.”
The probie nodded, having already decided to text the man once he got away from the table. “And Eddie did have a big party? Good for him.”
Bobby chuckled. “Between you and me, and yes he told me I could tell you this, it was in an attempt to convince his family he was happy here. Christopher was the one to give him his helmet and everything. Though…”
“Cap?”
The man sighed. “We almost had that one canceled as well. He got his shield about two weeks after the firetruck bombing, if you remember that. Eddie flat out said he didn’t want a ceremony unless Buck was there, and he made a point to say that in front of Buck. So, Buck was there, in full uniform with his leg trapped in a cast, on more painkillers than strictly necessary. He and Chris had a race over who could crutch around the 118 faster.” Bobby shook his head at the memory. Christopher had won outright, while Buck was carried over the “finish line” by Eddie. All three of them laughing and annoying his parents.
“I remember that! That’s when I beat you, Bucky!”
Both men looked up to see Christopher Diaz’s head pop into view on the stairs. Behind him were two visibly exhausted firefighters, looking like they had just came from a marathon. They came laden with gift bags to the surprise of no one.
Chris crossed the loft and came to give Bobby a hug, then bestowed one on Ravi, before settling down on the couch and pulling out his Switch.
Buck and Eddie collapsed in the seats across from the two currently on shift, bags set down carefully around them. “Are we talking about Ravi’s shield ceremony? Let Hen do the cake,” Buck said before burying his head into his arms.
Bobby finally found his voice. “I thought we wouldn’t see you two until your next shift.”
Eddie shrugged. “Chim texted, said you were making baked mac and cheese. Chris was tired, and I needed to get this one,” jabbing a finger at Buck who flipped him off, “out of the gift shops.”
“And you know I’ll never miss your baked mac and cheese. Unless it’s jinxed again. It’s not, right?” Buck said, looking up.
Ravi laughed. “No, no jinx. Just planning.”
The two visitors grinned and sat up. “What can we do to help?”
When Ravi did have his ceremony the next weekend, it was a cross between Buck’s simple dinner and Eddie’s large ceremony. His family had arrived and his girlfriend had surprised everyone by presenting him with his helmet and a kiss.
Firefighter Ravi Panikkar was ready for duty.