A breath puffed past Bucksâ lips. An exhale, harsh. He felt the room spin. Revolve. As if it were taking a larger breath, huffing it around him. All caustic heat billowing past his ears, no relief. He didnât hear Isaac stomping over to them until he was at his side, all calm demeanor; something he didnât feel. Something he hardly ever felt these days. Those were emotions that felt like small, ineffectual tides, pushing idly against a violent swell. It did nothing to calm his nerves, and it took everything inside of him to loosen his grip on the alien, pulling the muzzle away from the Paloovianâs scaly face.
Because Isaac knew better. Always did. Still. Still.
Gritting his teeth, Buck finally allowed some space for Isaac to step in. He kept his pistol in hand. Just in case. Finger idly sliding the outside of the trigger, only a hairs breath away. Just in case. Sometimes, he hoped things went south. Just to quieten the noise, dampen it a little. Didnât take Isaac long to wrangle the situation at hand. Busted a hole as big as three fists; ended things nicely. The leader pushed itself to his feet and shook its head, breath hazy, eyes blinking. He raised his pistol, and inclined his chin in the opposite direction. A quick nod. Get lost. Witnessing what just happenedâalien was smart enough to stagger in the opposite direction.
Things like this didnât help their case. Humans. He understood that well enough. Though, it wasnât their fault. Like Isaac said⊠guy hit âem first. Several eyes swung in their direction. Unintelligible chatter, in different languages. Another swell of emotion. Disgust? Confusion? Fear. Fear. It was the heaviest of them all, weighed down like a wet blanket. Dragging down like anchors tied to his ankles. He hated that the most. âYeah, best get outtaâ here while we can,â he tucked his pistol away and glanced at Jax and Wolf.
Good. He was breathing. For someone who didnât like sticking his nose in things, he always managed to get himself in situations like this. Hurt. As if it wouldnât happen, because he didnât care at all. Too much trouble. Best stick in the background. A walking target. He wondered, sometimes. Buck knuckled at his nose, and took the lead. Slightly ahead of the others, though he occasionally peeked backwards. Making sure they were good enough to walk on their own two feet.
No more drinking for me. Whereâd he hear that before?
Buck made a noise, scoffing at Jaxâ comment. A soft mmâhm. Whether or not he was agreeing with the statement was anyoneâs guess. He wasnât cuddly. He didnât rub elbows with the girls like Jax did. Didnât make sly jokes, as if it were easy as pie. Slick tongue as his, it was a wonder he didnât get into any more trouble, for all of his efforts to stay out of things. While they stepped out of the valet, his thoughts swam, spilling over. âWhat was up with that, anyway? Stickinâ your neck out like thatââ it came out meaner than heâd meant to. Maybe. All bite, with a side of bark. He shook his head and stormed ahead, clambering up the ramp and into their ship; all sunshine colors, an affront to anyoneâs eyes.
Only once theyâd all boarded did he do his rounds, checking up on them without so much as a word. Checking to see if they were fine, without the embarrassment of letting them know thatâs what he was doing. Summer would feel like shit, but she was alive and well. Nothing some rest wouldnât help. Isaac would have some bruises, but he was tough. Wolf would mother-hen Jax until he fell asleep, and Grace was fine, probably thought the whole thing was hilarious. He plopped down on the U-couch and leaned his head back against the cushion, mouth set into a hard line. The swell was quieter here. Sure, he could feel Wolfâs worries; Summerâs disappointment. But they were fine, safe on the ship.
Home. As close to home as Earth had felt, anyway.
âThis nightâll get better when we get off this rock.â