#muse:Lucy Donato

[entangledmuses]

Buck and Lucy || Continued from here || @morexfuntomiss

Lucy was glad he was in. She didn't know where else to go right now. She nodded "Yeah... yeah I think so." She said, stepping inside and closing the door behind her.

"Erm... Can I burrow your phone?" She asked him.

"I er... got hit. Erm.. my car got hit. Pretty sure it's totalled." She added. "Asshole did a hit and run, but my cell battery is dead, and luckily its not far from here, and I am so fucking glad you are in." She said, a little in shock still. Despite her job, running into danger pretty much daily, it still took her by surprise.

Everything was starting to ache right now.

[entangledmuses]

Lucy laughed again "Well there is nothing wrong with having a little thrill in life." She smirked.

"But glad you aren't hooking up with random girls in the truck now." She replied. "Who knows what they might have." She teased.

"Oh even better. I do love a meal thats paid for by someone else." She smirked.

"Exactly." Buck agreed with a nod. "I did those things, I admit but I'm not the same person anymore." He wasn't even sure which Buck .0 he was now but he hadn't been that person in years.

"It was a bit cramped. And I had to clean the truck."

He laughed, unlocking the jeep and throwing his bag in the back. "My treat."

[entangledmuses]

“  you  can’t  be  serious.  “  / lucy

Lucy crossed her arms, a brow slowly raising as she looked at him. "I'm dead serious Buck." She replied. a hint of a smirk starting to grow on the corner of her lips.

"Try me." She then chuckled a little.

She took a few steps towards him "So... you up for it?"

[entangledmuses]

Lucy nodded a little "Yeah it was." She agreed. The time of their kiss had been bad timing. But she didn't regret it. Not one bit. And honestly, if Buck wanted to kiss again, she wouldn't say no. He was ne hell of a kisser.

But she was sure after Taylor, he wasn't ready for another relationship yet.

Lucy never did like her, and she used Buck to get her stories. She hated people that used others for their own benefit.

"I relish in tough situations." Lucy told him. "Its the life of a girl raised with lots of brothers, being the only firefighter in a family full of cops." She chuckled a little. "So don't worry about me and bailing when things get tough. Ok?" She smiled.

She then nodded and gave a mock salute "Yeah, see you in a bit, Going to change out of my uniform, but won't be long." She told him as she grabbed her bag and headed to the changing room.

It didn't take Lucy long to get out of her uniform and shove it in her bag. She pulled a brush through her hair, applied a little lip balm to her lips to keep them from drying out, and a little hand lotion rubbed into her hands before she pulled on her jacket and grabbed her bag, heading out in jeans and a tee, and her leather jacket.

When she met up with Buck again, she motioned for him to follow her to her car. "So... you're not still hung up on Red are you?" She asked him, opening the back door and throwing her bag into her car before closing it and opening the drivers side and climbing in. "I mean, I get you two had quite the deep relationship for you, but she used you Buck. She saw only what you could give her to boost her career. You know that right?" Lucy asked him, looking at him as she turned the key to start the engine.

Well wasn't that reassuring? Because honestly, the last thing Buck wanted right now were rumors about him being afraid of the hospital, or about him being stuborn to get some attention. While he had done that a lot when he still had been a child with the whole point of getting his parents attention at least for a short while, he had grown out of that long ago after all.

"Thank you." he added eventually. It was nice knowing someone had his back. Well that was wrong, he knew for certain that his family had his back, that especially Eddie would always have his back after everything they've been through. But both of them had failed at doing so over and over again too. And it was nice knowing there were more people on his side, after thinking he was left alone for so long.

That she had to mention that one night where he drunkenly had ended up kissing her… well no one pretended either of them had forgotten about that. And while he didn't actually regret his doings, he certainly did the timeframe it happened in. Things with Taylor had been complicated for a while aready, him kissing gorgeous femal firefigthers was only the top of the ice and it was obviously, that Lucy too was aware of that.

"Certainly was a hell of a kiss…just messed up with the point of time a bit I guess…"

But that was just him, messing up over and over again, just to end up surprised once he realised that people didn't drop him for it any longer.

"Doesen't feel like a concussion." And boy he did have experienced enough to at least sound certain about that one. To hear that she cared about him… well it wasn't actually that easy now, was it? "Trust me, I want to believe that. It's just hard when people tend to leave once things get though..:" he mumbled, before shaking his head already again, groaning slightly as the headache was only increased by doing so.

"Sounds like a plan, see u in a sec I guess?" was said soon enough to hid that bit of discomfort, before he turned to leave just to prevent her saying something about it.

[entangledmuses]

"Isn't it? I thought you were good at Pool?" She asked him. She then chuckled "I don't think you have to worry about your bank account, I have other ideas in mind." She breathed. "Why use money, when I can humiliate you?" She joked. "You're lucky we're in public. Strip Pool was an idea." She then teased.

She picks up a pool cue too. "Don't mind if I do." She breathed, then moved into position, and bent over the table.

"If you're good, then maybe we can play doubles sometime.... for cash... and we'll split it." She winked at him before she struck the balls with the cue.

leaning against the pool table he glances at the perfectly neat balls before looking back at lucy . "you say that like its easy," he mutters under his breath . the sigh he gives out is over the top and exaggerated , but there's a smile to his face he can't wipe off . "you know i can hear my bank account already crying," buck says with a shake of his head , he still picks up the spare pool cue before gesturing to the pool table with his free hand . "ladies first then."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy laughed "Don't want to be reminded of your cockups?" She asked. "Its well known that you are the firefighter who took the truck out to hook up with a girl." She teased.

"Though, have to admit, I can definitely see the appeal of that." She laughed.

"Including me. Would never want you uptight. Got to have someone to compete against." She smiled.

She nodded and walked to his jeep. "You paying?" She teased lightly.

"I don't even want to know some of the stories that might be floating around." Buck responds with a laugh, he was sure that most within the department knew about some of his anticts.

"No one at the 118 would let me be uptight."

Their chosen career, if you weren't able to enjoy yourself, to see the good side of life even after the really hard shifts, it'd burry you.

"Perfect. Let's go!"

[entangledmuses]

Lucy rose a brow and looked at him. "Pain meds are not better than drink." She teased lightly with a little smile on her lips.

"Oh I wasn't worried about driving with the head... Its more that I think my car is totalled, and yours is no where near as comfortable as mine to drive." She teased.

She rolled her head back again, looking up at the ceiling. "You know, this couch is pretty damn comfortable."

It was a relief when Lucy agreed to go to the hospital once Athena had been. He would've sat up all night keeping an eye on her if she hadn't.

"The hospital might even give you something better than a drink." He replied with a laugh before checking his phone, knowing Athena wouldn't be far off now.

"Given the head injury, I was absolutely going to be the one to drive."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy sighed, she knew that she probably should get checked out, her head was throbbing, her body was starting to ache. It would be a good idea, but she really didn't like the idea of having to get checked out at the hospital.

"Fine." She groaned, "After Athena has come by, and checked the scene, we'll go. If anything, just so I get the all clear for a strong drink." She said with a bit of a cheeky smile.

"But you should probably drive. I think my car is a bit busy." She joked lightly and then rolled her head back, resting it on the back of the couch.

"I'm not going to force you, I'm just suggesting it. And not planning on giving you alcohol to be on the safe side."

He was sure once the shock and the adrenaline wore off that Lucy would change her mind, if only for the options of some decent pain management.

Buck smiled, nodding in agreement, he was well accustomed to hating hospitals, always had been. "I won't make you go, but I will stay with you if you do."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy gave a smile "Well, I have heard a lot about the way you used to be, and you definitely seemed to of grown up to me. But just don't turn too mature." She teased.

"No one wants a uptight Buck." She then joked lightly.

After all, she was sure in their line of work, you couldn't survive it if you were too uptight. The things they saw, you had to have that side of you that saw the fun in life, because your life at word was surrounded by tragedy.

Lucy then nodded "Sounds like it may be the same one. Lets head there then, I could do with a big pile of pancakes and bacon." She beamed at him.

"What can I say, I've grown a lot lately." And he had, or at least he thought he had. He wasn't the same person he once was.

There hadn't been a lot of time to grab a proper meal during the shift, as much as cap had tried to feed them, the calls just hadn't stopped coming in. So, time for breakfast it was, and if he didn't have to cook, that was perfectly okay with Buck.

"I think so. Maddie and I used to go to one on around there when she first came to LA."

[entangledmuses]

"Wow, call me impressed. You are actually organised." She teased lightly as she looked at him.

It had been a long shift, and Lucy had only really grabbed snacks here and there. There hadn't been much time to eat, and they hadn't slept much through out the night either. So when they had come back from the last call of the night, she headed to the showers before the end of shift, needing to get the smell that had lingered to her skin.

Luckily she was all fresh and clean now, and the adrenaline still coursed through her veins, so she was wild awake.

"There is that place on Fifth that do the amazing Breakfasts. Do you know the one?"

"Yeah, measured it a while ago. It's all in my phone." He had measured it all before Taylor had moved in, making sure everything would fit. It seemed like a good thing that he had hung onto it all.

"I could eat." Buck nodded, he had grabbed some leftovers before the end of the shift but he was definitely hungry already. "Where do you want to go?"

[entangledmuses]

She hated hospitals, hated the smell, and the fuss. She would just sleep and be fine. Though, part of her knew that wasn't true. She had hit her head, and her ribs, and she knew once the shock wore off, she would be in agony.

"If you're forcing me to go, you're not leaving my side, you got that? I hate hospitals." She told him.

She then groaned when he mentioned the drink. She understood it, but that didn't mean she had to like his idea of staying sober right now.

She sat back fully on his couch "I know you understand the hatred of hospitals. You really going to make me go?" She asked, turning her head to look at him.

Buck nodded, he'd let Athena know everything that he could.

His eyebrow raised at her insistence that she didn't need to go to the hospital and get checked out, he wasn't quite sure that was for the best but he wasn't going to push, just yet anyway.

"I do, but I don't know if I want to give you any when we don't know for sure that you don't have a head wound." Maybe he was going a little overboard, he knew Lucy could make her own decisions but he didn't want her to have a drink and then not wake up because of a head wound.

[entangledmuses]

She could understand that, but at the same time, she hoped he didn't just brush the incident away and try to forget it. He had to look at the positive side. He survived. He pulled through with very little after affect.

He was a survivor.

Lucy watched him come back and then nodded a little "Makes sense, but you gotta make sure it still will fit in your place." She said to him. "Have you measured the space?" She then asked, walking over to his jeep.

"Wait... you wanna get something to eat first? Don't know about you, but I am starving." She chuckled. "And you should go sofa shopping on an empty stomach." She joked lightly.

His first attempt of therapy back when he was new on the job had been a disaster, his time during lockdown had been better, and this time, it had really been helping him.

"It helps now that people aren't asking about it as much, that I'm not being told about how I died. That hadn't really helped."

He nodding, heading to grab his back before quickly returning to Lucy. "Pretty much. Though I was thinking of maybe getting a pull out, so if someone does need to stay at my place, they'll be comfortable."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy nodded and smiled. She knew that sometimes being in their job led to difficult situations, scary situations, and when times had been close, she had suffered the occasional nightmare. But you worked through it, and its why the FD had such a good therapy scheme.

"Been there." She breathed. "Its a way our brain tries to process what we've been through, its normal, but I promise they do fade." She told him.

She then nodded "Better get it Buckley." She smiled "But I know exactly the type you mean, something that if a friend turned up drunk at your place, they would at least crash out on something good." She smiled.

"I'm coping alright, better than I did after the ladder truck." Once he got back to work, he started to feel more like himself. "Some, here and there but I'm talking to a therapist, getting on top of it all."

Buck didn't tell many people that, only Eddie knew about the nightmares and that was because of how often he fell asleep at his best friends house.

"I just gotta grab my bag and then I'm good to go." He told her, a little surprised Lucy was willing to jump on it. "I just want something comfortable, you know? Something that feels right."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy started to twist her fingers together when he took the phone from her, her mind reeling about what had just happened.

She looked up at him and bit her lip a little "Erm.. North from here." She told him.

Lucy looked back at her hands and then nodded as he spoke, then paused and stopped "I don't need to go to the hospital, I'm fine.. I'm... yeah, I'm fine, just a little in shock." She told him. "I promise, I'm not injured." She told him, a small smile gracing her lips "Just... bruised. Body and Ego." She chuckled nervously.

"You got anything strong to drink?"

Buck could see that the adrenalin was wearing off, likely a bit of shock was settling in. Once she had a moment to breathe, he'd suggest a trip to the hospital, get her seen by a doctor.

"Do you remember which direction?" He asked, gently taking his phone when he realised she wasn't going to use it to call Athena.

"Okay. I'll give her a call, let her know where it is and what happened then I think we should probably go to the hospital. Especially if you've hit your head."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy smiled, she liked how much Buck seemed to adore his niece. Even though hers tackled her and broke her leg, she too adored her niece, she was close to her family, and its something she liked to see in others.

"Well I am here to listen to you, now that you are recovered.... you were the one that was left in the hospital bed... How are you coping now?" She asked him softly. "Do you get any.... strange nightmares?" She asked softly.

She rose a brow at his reply and then shook her head "Well I say we go couch shopping first." She teased lightly. "What sort of couch are you looking for?" She asked. "I'm free now if you want to make a start."

"I'm lucky to have a great niece." Buck didn't need his arm twisted to ask his sister to bring her by the firehouse, knowing that Chimney would love her to as well, and he would never complain at the opportunity to see his sister.

"Well, what do you want to know?" There was a lot that had happened since Lucy had last been at the 118, and he wasn't entirely sure how much she knew, though he also wasn't entirely sure just how much that he wanted to talk about.

He shot her a look, raising his eyebrow before shrugging, at least she hadn't known Buck 1.0. "Who knows. Guess I'll find out."

[entangledmuses]

Lucy smiled as he beamed. "She's lucky to have a good Uncle too." She added. "You will have to ask Maddie to bring her to the fire house one day, so I get to see her again." She then added. It had been a while since she saw Jee. She had only seen pictures since, which Chim happily showed everyone at any opportunity.

"Don't worry about talking my ear off, they are firmly fixed in place, I can promise you that." She joked softly.

The blonde rose a brow, and then a laugh escaped her lips "Pft. I hope you're better at making decisions. Definitely don't want any more of your bad decisions showing up here, or at any fire scene, trying to get information they aren't entitled to." She joked lightly, a smile on her lips.

"Couches have to be easier than dates though, right?"

Buck smiled, his proud uncle smile. "She definitely is a cutie." It was no secret that he adored his niece, he could be just as bad as Chimney for stories after he'd babysat her.

He was no stranger to PT, or leg injuries, his own still ached on bad days, so he could relate to the frustration Lucy would have been feeling.

"Guess it's time to talk your ear off then."

All he could do was shrug, he couldn't argue there. His last couch had been one his mother had bought him and that had been stained beyond repair. "I'm getting better at making decisions."