Black And Blue-E.Buckley (9-1-1)

Ten

I'm slowly getting closure

I guess it's really over

It had been about two weeks since Eleanor moved in with Buck. She still wasn't completely comfortable but she was getting there and Buck was doing an amazing job at making sure she was comfortable. Maddie stopped by to check in just about every day. She and Buck had even had a game night with Eddie and Christopher, who was by far Eleanor's favorite. Though she hadn't met the entire group yet, which Buck promised she would, Christopher definitely took the cake.

Eleanor was sitting on the couch reading a book when Buck came out of the bathroom. He sat at the other end of the couch and waited for Eleanor to put her book down. "Feel better?"

"Definitely. A long shower after a long day is amazing." Eleanor smiled at the man. "Hey, so I have the day off and I found this recipe online that looks pretty good. I was thinking maybe we could try it tonight. If you're okay with that."

"Yeah, that sounds great."

"Okay, cool." Buck smiled. "Um, the thing is, uh," Buck smiled nervously.

"You can't cook." Buck nodded. "Maddie already told me, it's fine."

"Would you wanna go to the store with me?" They shared a smile and Eleanor nodded in agreement. 

"Let me just clean up a little," she motioned toward the still-healing cuts on her face.

"Here, let me help." Buck got up and grabbed the throw-together first aid kit off the shelf. He opened it and grabbed out everything he needed before closing it again. Eleanor scooted closer to him on the couch. Buck leaned in, inches from her face as he started cleaning the cuts with alcohol pads. Buck started to clean the cut above her eye and she flinched. She flung her hand out, grabbing ahold of Buck's other hand.

Buck looked down at their intertwined hands. Eleanor pulled away, "I'm sorry, I didn't.. reflexes, sorry."

"Hey," Buck grabbed her chin, turning her face back toward him. "It's okay and you don't have to apologize. Here," he grabbed her hand and rested it on his knee. "Squeeze as much as you need. Does that one hurt more?"

"It's a little sore, yeah." Buck got a little closer and continued to clean it. 

He leaned back, giving her a sympathetic smile. "All done." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled at him as she looked up into his eyes. He seemed to see right into her soul as he stared back. 

"Thank you," Eleanor looked away from their intense stare.

"Anytime," Buck grabbed the wrappers off the coffee table and got up to throw them away. He grabbed his keys off the counter and headed for the door. Eleanor followed close behind him. She was still getting used to being able to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted without consequences. It was all so new to her, for eight years she had pretty much been a prisoner. 

Eleanor looked over at Buck while he drove. He felt her eyes on him, he glanced over quickly before looking back at the road. "So what kind of recipe is this?"

"You're gonna think I'm stupid."

"Never."

Buck glanced over with a smile. "It's parmesan-crusted chicken over Alfredo. It sounds simple but I always either burn the chicken or it's undercooked."

"Not stupid at all. Any food is easy to burn, it happens. It's okay, I'll teach you." They shared a quick smile as Buck parked his jeep in the lot. They got out, and Eleanor grabbed the cart while Buck pulled up the ingredient list on his phone. Eleanor followed as Buck walked through the store. Buck reached for a jar of alfredo sauce and Eleanor quickly grabbed his hand. He looked at her questioningly. "No, if we're gonna make this, we're making it right. Homemade sauce." Buck smiled and nodded. He continued on with the list, grabbing chicken, breadcrumbs, and a few other things. When they got to the noodles Eleanor agreed on already made noodles for tonight but promised she'd teach Buck how to make homemade noodles one day.