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[with_diamonds]

These days, having time to herself was something of a rarity. Lucy could be nothing but grateful for whatever impulse had made her decide not to run for Council again; there was no way she'd have been able to handle it, and for her to say so as someone in the habit of pushing herself to the breaking point, taking on as much as she could, was no

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[onlyapassenger]

"Last one for the semester," says Bucky, dropping an armful of handmade buoys down onto the sand. Their design could stand for some improvement, he has to admit, and with the class over for at least a little while, he sees no need to keep them out in the water; the ITF won't keep him so busy, and he'll be in need of more distractions soon enough. Lifting a still-dripping hand to shield his eyes from the bright sun of the afternoon, he squints as he looks over to Lucy, a smile touching the corners of his mouth; he hasn't seen her much lately, though he knows her life's been about as eventful as his own, albeit in wildly different ways

[with_diamonds]

It was only when she got a little closer that Lucy's smile faded slightly, gaze wandering from the bruise on his jaw down to the ones on his chest. While she didn't know what they were from and there was nothing too bad, the fact that they were there at all couldn't have signified anything good; illogical though it may have been, she found herself thinking that she should have known sooner, should have been able to divide her attention more evenly. This was the way things always went, though, and seeing it now, all she could do was try to find out what had caused it.

At the very least, if there was anyone she knew she didn't have to worry too much about, it was him. He was, probably more than anyone else she knew, ridiculously capable, and the fact that he was smiling, too, could only be a good sign. "They'll miss you soon enough," she said lightly, mostly teasing, then decided there was no sense in putting anything off. "What happened?"

[onlyapassenger]

Jason's asked him the same question enough times since the fight happened that Bucky barely registers it when it comes from Lucy, though it's not accompanied by the same annoyance. If she asks again, it'll be a different story, of course, but for now Bucky's able to keep his expression lighthearted and nonplussed, dropping down on one knee in the sand to start untangling the handmade rope.

"Ah, you know how it is -- boys'll be boys," he says easily, glancing back up at her from his position on the ground. It's the sort of defense the brass used to enact whenever he picked a fight with an older soldier back in Camp Lehigh, and he almost laughs for using it about himself, now. "I'm fine. He's fine. Nothing to worry about, Lucy."

[with_diamonds]

"Alright," Lucy said after a moment, sighing exaggeratedly. There was a touch of reluctance in her voice that couldn't be helped, but she was still inclined to believe what he was telling her; he did seem fine, after all, even the response itself lighthearted enough, and she'd seen firsthand how well he could take care of himself (though she didn't often think about that while in his presence. It was over, it was done, they were all fine; there was no need to dwell on it). She knew what boys were like, anyway, even if Max had never been all that physically capable before he'd been drafted.

Shifting her weight in the sand, she tipped her head down towards him. "Just as long as you're okay. I don't wanna find out all this time after the fact about something happening to you."