Work Text:
Buck is oddly good at scrabble. His mind retains random words which comes in handy. He can beat anyone here, except for Bobby. The two of them are evenly matched. Right now, they're teetering on the edge of a win for Buck. The whole crew is watching. Eddie is betting on Buck, Chim on Bobby, and Hen is simply fact checking some of the odder words. The two of them are deep in thought, studying the board and the letter tiles at their disposal.
Everyone is pulled from their scrabble stupor by the alarm going off. The game is out on pause as everyone rushes down to suit up. Once they're all in the truck, Bobby gives them the rundown. There was a fight and a guy got impaled by a pool cue. The stick went through the table too, so they need to cut him out. It's not the first time they've been called to scenes like this. Bars tend to be breeding grounds for stupidity.
"Buck. There's no way 'muzjiks' is a word," Chim argues.
"It means 'russian peasant'. First saw it in a book about immigration after the first world war."
"And why were you reading about that?"
Buck shrugs. He'll read just about anything. He's a relatively fast reader. It's not uncommon to find him starting on a new book each week. He'll read whatever he can find, or whatever piques his interest. Buck and Çhris make a game of going to the library together and finding random books to try. They've tried to get Eddie in on it, but he doesn't have as much of an interest in reading as they do. He still comes with them to the library though. He loves watching the two of them nerd out over weird stuff. It's adorable.
When they pull up, they all unload. They grab their gear and head inside. They have to push their way through the crowd to get to the pool table. The man seems rather calm considering he's been impaled. Probably has something to do with all the alcohol in his system. Hen and Chim immediately get to work assessing the injury. It's something that will need to be properly removed at a hospital, but isn't rapidly life threatening.
"Buck, Eddie, can you two steady the cue on either side? Chim, I need you to gently cut through it. We'll have to do a cut on either side to get it out of the table." They arrange themselves the way Bobby orders.
"Sir, you need to stay very still. Let us know if any of the movement causes pain, okay?" Hen instructs. The man does his best to nod. It's unclear if the sluggishness is from being drunk or from the injury. Chim makes quick work of cutting the cue stick. It's much easier to cut through wood than metal. They position the guy on his side on top of the stretcher and carry him out to the ambulance. Chim and Hen opt to take him to the hospital while the rest of the team handles the rest of the call. They pull out just as Athena pulls in.
Bobby and Athena always remain professional at work, but that doesn't stop them from exchanging loving smiles. They fill her in on what happened before they all head back inside. She asks the bartender to point out the main perpetrator. She goes over to talk to him. It's clear he's slightly drunk as well.
"Hello, sir. I'm Officer Grant. Can you explain what happened here?"
"Wasn't my fault! Me and my buddies were playing pool, and this guy joins and he starts cheating. He fell on that pool cue all by himself." The goons behind him nod in agreement.
"Whatever the case may be, I need to bring you in for question. I can cuff you, but I'd rather you go to the car willingly."
"Fine. But I didn't do anything wrong." The man grumbles. Athena leads him out of the bar to the car.
A group of men approach the goons that had been defending the perpetrator. The one in front is big, bigger than Eddie or even Buck. The men flanking him aren't too small either.
"You should leave. Y'all have caused enough drama as it is." The leader says.
"It was your friend who started it!" The goon in front hisses. "It's not your bar, Carl. We can stay if we want."
"Do you really want to pick a fight with me, Tom? You won't win it."
"Are you calling me a pussy?"
Buck inserts himself between the two men, hands up to show he's no threat. "We already took one guy to the hospital, and we don't want to take another. Plus, there's a cop right outside. Now is not the time to start a fight."
"Yeah, listen to the fire fighter, Tom." the man mocks. More men have gathered behind both groups. This is spiraling, and fast.
"What the fuck is your problem, man? We just wanted to play pool."
"You stabbed my friend, asshole!"
"Well, maybe he had it coming!"
Before anyone can react, a brawl has started. And Buck is right in the middle of it. It's unclear if the punch was meant for him or someone else, but it hits Buck square in the jaw. He stumbles back. He's engulfed in the fight. Eddie sees him receive a knee to the stomach before he goes down.
"Buck!" Eddie runs into the crowd, ignoring Bobby's order for him to stop. He shoves his way through the tangle of people. He frantically looks for Buck. His eyes catch the familiar shade of the L.A.F.D uniform. Two men have Buck cornered against the wall. One of them has half of a broken bottle, edges shining dauntingly in the dim light. A second man has his hand around the collar of Buck's shirt, pinning him against the wall as he lands a blow to the side of Buck's face. Blood is running from his nose and a cut on his cheek. The helmet he had come in with is on the ground. When the next punch comes in, his head hits the cement behind him full force.
"Get away from him!" Eddie charges at the one with the bottle first, as he poses the most danger. His army training kicks and he quickly disarms the man. He slams his head against the bar and he crumples to the ground. Eddie then turns his attention to the man currently attacking Buck. With a move much too fast for Buck's scrambled brain to comprehend, Eddie takes the man down.
"¡Quédate abajo!" He warns. The man doesn't understand spanish, but the fury in his tone gets his point across. He turns his attention to Buck. He quickly scans him for any major injuries. Once he's confirmed that Buck isn't going to bleed out, he forces Buck to bend lower so Eddie can drape himself over him like a protective shield. Eddie pushes people out of the way as they go. It feels like ages, but they break from the crowd and into the waiting arms of Bobby. Bobby and Eddie quickly usher Buck away from the crowd, the two of them forming a human shield over him.
The fresh air of the outside is a welcome relief after the stench of the bar. Athena meets them halfway, taking on some of Buck's weight.
"What the hell happened?"
"Brawl. You need to call for backup. It's bad." Athena nods at Eddie's words and says something into her radio. Then she turns her attention back to Buck. They sit him on the edge of the engine. He leans heavily against the cool metal behind him.
"You okay, kid? Where are you hurt?" Bobby anxiously asks.
"Fine. They got a few good hits in, but I've had worse." He laughs, but winces when it hurts. Clearly his ribs are injured. Eddie kneels in front of them and places his hands gently on Buck's face. He softly turns his head to different angles so he can see all the injuries. "I'm okay. I'll clean up back at the station. We should head out, Chim and Hen are probably wondering where we are."
Eddie hesitates, but he can see that Buck really just wants to get out of here. Bobby seems to come to the same conclusion, because he begins to help Buck up and inside the engine.
"Give me an update, okay? I have to stay here. I'll stop by after to see how you're doing, Buckaroo."
"You don't have to do that, 'Thena. I'm alright."
"You may be fine, but I still want to check on my boy. Go, get him back."
Buck leans heavily against Eddie the whole way back. Eddie can't take his eyes off of him. The ride is silent, with Bobby looking in the rearview mirror at Buck every couple of minutes. The moment they arrive, Eddie forces Buck to sit down so he can take care of his injuries. Bobby goes to fill in Chim and Hen. Eddie cleans the cuts as gently as he can, apologizing every time Buck winces. The cuts aren't too deep, and Buck doesn't have a concussion. The next step is to check his ribs.
"Take your shirt off."
"Someone's demanding." Buck raises a cheeky eyebrow. Eddie rolls his eyes, but there's no mistaking the fond look on his face. That look disappears when he catches site of Buck's torso. The bruises are already forming. One mark in particular catches his eye.
"Is-is that a boot print?" Anger consumes him again. He should have killed those guys when he got the chance. "Voy a matar a esos bastardos-"
"No killing anyone. I'm okay."
"They hurt you." He practically growls.
"It's a risk of the job. You know that."
"Doesn't mean I like it." He finishes checking Buck's ribs. None are broken, but some are likely bruised. His anger simmers under his skin, like a pot about to boil over. He's going to make sure that Athena knows which ones hurt Buck. Both so they get the punishment they deserve, but also because they're safer behind bars where he can't get to them.
Eddie has to help Buck get his shirt back on. He catalogues every wince, every bruise as it disappears under fabric.
Buck lays down on the couch. Suddenly, he sits up, eyes wide.
"I have my final scrabble word."
Eddie can't help the laugh that escapes from his lips.