Work Text:
Warnings: Mentions of dangerous driving (but nothing illegal), TikTok fame, secret identities, Maddie being ride-or-die (literally)
Viral Secrets
No one at the 118 knew Buck owned a sport bike. [no one. he will take it to the grave If he could]
That wasn’t entirely surprising. Buck had a habit of compartmentalizing things—his trauma, his hobbies, his impulsive (sometimes wildly dangerous) coping mechanisms.[we don't talk about this enough] But this wasn’t one of those. This was something else. Something... his.
The matte black Yamaha R1 lived in a storage unit he rented under a different name. Registered, insured, and custom-modified. His pride and joy.[he spent so much money 😭😩] And more importantly, the star of a TikTok account with over 2.4 million followers.
He never showed his face. Always wore a sleek black helmet with a reflective visor, blacked-out jacket, and gloves. But the GoPro mounted on the side of his helmet caught the magic—sunsets over Mulholland, midnight rides through empty downtown streets, canyon twists at dawn. [his playlist immaculate, for his nightly rides]
His followers knew him as Ghost, the mystery rider with calm commentary, soft indie playlists, and the occasional chaotic scream when a squirrel crossed his path. They loved the group rides, the night vision camera, and the recurring joke that Ghost was “definitely an accountant or a dad of three.”
Only Maddie knew the truth.
She’d found out the day she showed up at his place unannounced and walked in on him editing footage at 2am.
“What the hell are you doing, Evan?”
“Uhh... trying to make a transition that doesn’t suck?”
She watched the screen. “Is that a GoPro on your head? Why does your video have 800k likes?”
The conversation ended with her on the back of his bike the next week, arms around his waist, screaming and laughing as they sped through Malibu under a sky full of stars.
She became his backpack once a month after that. [that was the happiest he has seen Maddie from all those years ago she let loose and fell in love]
"Ghost" Shows Up at Work (Kinda)
It was Eddie who first mentioned it.
“Anyone seen that viral motorcycle guy on TikTok? The one who rides at night with the crazy good camera footage? Ghost or something?”
Buck, mid-chew of a protein bar, froze.
Hen looked up from her phone. “You mean the one who rides through Topanga with like... lo-fi beats in the background and somehow makes traffic look like poetry?”
“Yeah!” Eddie snapped his fingers. “That guy!”
Chim joined in. “He’s got a new video up. Some insane ride through Downtown last night. He had to cut through a movie set to dodge traffic and ended it by doing a burnout in front of the Capitol Records building. It’s wild.”
“You guys watch motorcycle TikTok?” Buck asked, doing his best to sound shocked and not... guilty.
“Of course,” Hen said. “Why? You don’t?”
“Nah,” Buck muttered. “Not really my thing.”
Liar, his brain whispered. That burnout? He did that. And the movie set? Accidentally rode through it and apologized to the director mid-clip, then edited it out. Mostly.
Maddie Calls It
Later that day, he FaceTimed Maddie from the back of the rig during downtime.
“They’re watching my videos.”
She grinned. “I told you that burnout was a bad idea.”
“They think I’m cool!” Buck hissed. “I mean, Ghost is cool! I am not! I do not want them to find out it’s me and start asking why I’ve been living a Fast & Furious double life.”
“Evan, you have a neon helmet with custom decals that say ‘Ride or Die Trying.’ You’re not low-profile.”
“I’m trying! Do you know what Chim will do if he finds out you’ve been on my bike?”
Maddie smirked. “Probably cry. Then Google motorcycle sidecars.”
The Day It Almost Slipped
One day, during a particularly long shift, Chim passed his phone to Buck.
“Dude, Ghost just posted a POV of him weaving between traffic and yelling, ‘YOLO!’ in the middle of a tunnel. It sounds so much like you.”
Buck looked at the phone.
It was him.
And yeah, he definitely yelled “YOLO” because his buddy Wrench dared him to.
He coughed. “All white guys sound the same on helmet mics.”
Eddie narrowed his eyes. “Do they?”
“Absolutely,” Buck said with forced confidence.
Hen stared at him. “You look like you sweat guilt.”
Surprise Ending?
That night, Buck posted a clip from their latest group ride. Fast turns in Angeles Crest. Neon lights from his helmet reflecting off his visor. His followers flooded the comments.
"Ghost is literally my comfort creator."
"I know he’s a biker but I feel like Ghost would hug like a golden retriever."
"Does Ghost sleep or is he a professional vampire?"
"Plot twist: Ghost is secretly a firefighter and has abs."
Buck snorted and liked the last comment anonymously.
Then he sent Maddie a text:
“The 118 is too close. Might need to stage my death and rebrand.”
“Or just tell them?” she replied.
“You wanna help me deliver the reveal with dramatic music and a fog machine?”
“Duh.”