Work Text:
It wasn’t often that she got visitors at her apartment.
May had moved in maybe three months ago, after a long search to find a place that met the requirements of her parents, Bobby, and surprisingly Buck. There had been so many requirements, including what floors she could or could not have her apartment on, to how big the windows could be, to the parking situation in a well lit, surveillance area. Of course, Bobby and Buck also said it had to be in the 118’s area of coverage, but that was because they were playing overprotective step-dad and pseudo-step-brother.
She didn’t mind, honestly. She was happy that he had her family’s support in her wish to be more independent. And the apartment they’d agreed upon was beautiful and safe, and hilariously two blocks from Buck’s loft, though that hadn’t been planned. She had one good side bedroom and a nook that she used for her desk for her online classes, a decent kitchen with some upgrades, and beautiful windows that looked right at brick walls.
Okay, you can’t get everything in Los Angeles. But it was her apartment, and she was happy to be in it.
The thing was, she rarely had visitors. Sometimes her Mom or Bobby would drop by with a home cooked meal if she’d had a bad shift. Other times, Buck would swing by with a movie for an impromptu movie night. But both had been rare since her move in, and she didn’t really mind it. Most gatherings still took place at her Mom’s house, where everything was so much more open and easy to have a group of people in.
So hearing a knock at nine at night after she’d just finished up her night class was very different.
May walked over to the door, making it a point to quickly glance through the peephole. Once she did, she threw open the door and pulled Buck into her apartment without a second thought.
“Hey Buck! What brings you by? Did I miss a text?” May went to give him a hug, but froze.
Now, she had grown close to Buck over the past few years, especially since her graduation party. She knew that he took great pride in his appearance, wearing nice clothes when not in uniform, taming his curls with gel, and made sure he always looked neat when he left his loft. But the man in front of her hadn’t done any of that. Instead he looked like he’d just jumped out of bed and threw on the nearest clothing he had. His hair was a mess and his demeanor…
Buck was terrified.
May instead took his hand and led him over to her couch. “Buck, what happened.”
Not that she could get a closer look at him, she could see all of the things that were wrong. Besides disheveled clothing, he was hiding bruises with his jacket. His eyes clearly showed that he was in pain, in a way that she hadn’t seen since visiting him after the fire truck accident.
The man shook his head. “I just need a place to hide out for a few minutes,” he said.
She wasn’t having any of it. “Hide out? Buck, should I call my mom?”
Immediately, Buck shook his head and almost freaked out. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. Please don't, I’m fine. We don’t need to bother Athena, especially on her one day off this week.”
May opened her mouth to respond, but paused. Buck was one of those people that memorized schedules for fun. Her mom’s day off had been two days ago. She was on patrol that night. “Buck, Mom’s working. She was off on Wednesday.”
When the man blinked at her almost uncomprehendingly, she knew she had reason to worry. She gave him a small smile and said that she was going to make them some tea, so he could relax for a few minutes.
As soon as she got into the kitchen, she whipped out her phone and sent a text that she hoped she’d only ever have to deal with at work.
To Mom:
Something’s wrong with Buck.
He’s at my apt. Hurt.
Bruised.
He’s not telling me why.
Mom, I think someone hit him.
Mom:
On my way.
Do not let him leave.
You did good, May.