Welcome to Gaia! ::

Having only been six months moved in, Lucas was still sorting through his stuff. Unpacking was slow and arduous with setting up an entirely new facility in the city, so when he heard about the donation drive and electronics disposal, he decided to take the weekend to whirlwind clean his flat. Sure, his business could get rid of his old monitors and what not, but it just worked out to have the fire station doing the donation drive across the street.

Lucas dropped off bags worth of goods -- stuffed animals that were in storage for work and long since replaced, canned goods with non-perishables, a nice DVD player with a bunch of old DVD's, clothes, duffle bags, some new batteries with radios and handheld consoles, specialty kitchen items -- so much. So much. He had no idea when he'd accumulated so many things but it felt good to give his perfectly functional wares to a better purpose. It was a literal weight off his shoulders.

Exiting the fire station a good ten bags lighter, Lucas tucked the receipt of delivery in his back pocket, catching something white moving rapidly at the corner of his eye. Turning sharply on his good leg, he blinked with surprise to see a healthy adult dalmatian playing with one of the firemen. Really? Fire stations actually have dalmatians? Grinning despite himself, he shifted his direction to move a little more towards the two, leaning against the building to watch. It seemed...peaceful. Some sort of eye of the storm.

It was nice.

Lucas would have been just fine to watch for a few minutes and revel in the idealistic image for a bit and gone on his way, but to his surprise, the dog had other plans. Shocked but pleasantly so, he made sure to relax and keep his hand open as the spotted canine came over to him, gently rubbing dalmatian's muzzle and beneath his chin as the slobbery ball was pressed against his palm. His smile was warm and wide, earnest; he loved animals. They just didn't always love him. This was a real treat.

"Fidget?" he repeated when the man approached, grinning easily then. "Awesome name. And hey, no worries -- he seems like a sweetheart. A loving pup is a good family member to have."

He transferred the ball to his prosthetic hand, making sure Fidget saw. "Here we go, boy! You wanna get the ball? Alright, get the ball!" And he threw it - not too hard - back towards where the man had been. Rolling his shoulder, he wiped his good hand on his pants and offered it to the other. "A little bit of dog slobber but you're probably used to that -- I'm Lucas. Hell of a good thing you guys are doing here."

"Nice to meet you, Rylan," he said amicably, quirking a grin at the shake. Lucas scoffed softly and shook his head a little, waving his prosthetic hand as if to dismiss the thought. "I don't know if I'd say generous so much as doing what I think is right. It's impossible to hear about this and then look around your own home space and not see what could be in better hands."

And then the man said more kind words and smiled and for a moment, he felt blinded by the sheer goodness from the firefighter. Lucas caught himself looking a little slack-jawed from it and looked away, briefly -- enough to flick his gaze over Rylan's arm. Surprise immediately lit his features, looking back (up, looking up, he was taller than Lucas -- impressive!) to Rylan's jovial smile.

"Not a lot of people can see what we've seen and can keep that type of upbeat insight," he said, and lightly, he tapped his prosthetic fingers over his own forearm, indicating where Rylan's tattoo was. A delicate acknowledgment. Not everyone liked to talk about it, after all. "Or grow their hair back, but I guess we're the lucky ones, huh?" And he grinned again, teasing and trying to keep it light.

"Bah!" he laughed in good humor, shaking his head in a near demure manner. He didn't blush easy but insisting he was a good person was a fast way to make it happen. Lucas scarcely believed it, and to hear it was just...beyond him.

Rylan's reaction to Fidget's return didn't help, his mirth continuing in another short laugh under his breath, extending his prosthetic arm to sympathetically clasp the man's shoulder. "I'm just a new friend. I doubt anyone in their right mind, canine or not, would turn their back to you." Just like blushing could be a knee-jerk reaction, apparently casually flirting was his response to just about everything else. Chuckling, he slowly kneeled to greet the dalmatian again, mostly crouched on his right leg, his left one a little stiff to the side, using both hands to rub on either side of Fidget's jaws to try to get the ball again. "Ain't that right, sweetpea? Yeah, you love your Chief, I know." Once he retrieved the toy, he carefully got back to both feet and tossed it again, not as far.

He fixed Rylan with a crooked grin, shaking his head a little. "You could easily pass as being the high school heart throb who hasn't got a thing to hide." Lucas tilted his head slightly to the back, tracing his finger along a scar that was mostly hidden on the underside of his jaw, shrugging with humor in tact.

"Army, ordnance battalion, mostly with the hundred-and-first." His false arm lifted, twisting it side to side, catching the sun. "And this little diddy had nothing to do with it. Just a careless accident that ended my career." There was a brief, wry twist of his lips before it settled into a gentler expression. "Liked it so much I thought I'd do it twice," he leaned and lightly tugged up the left cuff of his jeans, patting his realistic looking leg and laughing again.

He did not miss the way Rylan touched his own arm, looking over his face in contemplation. Comfort never came easy to vets - and if he was right, survivor's guilt was one nasty battle to engage in. "Marines, right? We ran with some guys that had a tattoo like that. It's good to see some are free and charming dalmatians and random passer by's." Another grin formed, hoping to not bring up bad memories or make things awkward for the firefighter.

Lucas listened. He was good for it, arms folding and watching Rylan's face intently, a small but amazed smile warming into a grin. It was like watching someone open a gift at Christmas that they hadn't known they'd wanted, and he felt really damn good about being able to witness it. "I didn't do anything, just wondered how the posterchild for handsome firefighter doesn't have a wedding ring and posing it as an innocent misdirected question." He flashed his grin again, winking. "A little easier than asking if there's a Mister or Mrs Rylan."

He was -- he was really not used to conversations turning back to him, least of all in such a positive and kind way. Lucas waved his prosthetic hand dismissively again, before it found the back of his neck to rub in a near shy manner. "I don't know, Chief, you either roll with it or it rolls over you. Besides, the jokes are like, limitless, and that does make life easier." Especially in his line of work, but, really, talking about himself? He'd much rather try and make Rylan smile again.

Because, honest to god, if Autumn was the night, bejeweled in mystery with stars in her eyes, then Rylan was the brightest day, and that man had the sun in his smile. "It's a very specific job niche to fill and you, sir, do it wonderfully." Lucas laughed softly under his breath, dropping his hand from his neck. "I just came out here to watch an idyllic scene of the calendar-worthy firefighter play with a dalmatian, so, I count myself pretty damn lucky it's your specialty."

His laugh was warm and light, shaking his head to accompany his amusement. "Reis. And the only ones that count for that are my parents. I, uh," he briefly rubbed his hand over his prosthetic arm, unaware he was doing so, "don't exactly have a line out the door." Not many people wanted to deal with a disabled man, but those were words he didn't easily say on a first meeting.

Instead, Lucas was all too happy to return his attention to the dog, uttering a soft, 'hey, you did good, sunshine!' before ruffling Fidget's jowls again, glancing to the ball. It was a slow kneel, but he wasn't incapable, and damnit, he would throw the ball to play with the dog if it cost him his other leg.

"Damage?" he repeated, voice a little strained as he got the ball and righted himself. "What, by drawing attention to the real human beings that work here? I mean, sure, maybe on the outside, it looks objectifying," he paused his words to toss the ball again, grinning all the while. "But, it also shows that these are men that work hard. Approachable men who are trying to do their service in style." Yeah, he knew he was swinging wildly with that one, but he did like the idea. "If he changes his mind, just let me know your month, I don't need the rest."

And then he half chuckled, half covered his face with one hand, because if he could possibly put his foot in his mouth any further, he'd probably crap out an extra leg to use. "I'm uh, I'm sorry, I don't always have a mute button." Lucas dragged his hand down his face and over his bearded mouth, subtly shaking his head. "I don't get to talk to many vets though, let alone handsome ones like you, so. You know how it is. All in." He waved his other hand dismissively - he seemed to be doing that a lot today. Maybe it was his version of being shy.

Lucas lifted a brow sharply at Rylan's words, a slow smile creeping back into place. "Wow, that's some philosophical advice for someone who has ghosted relationships. Very sound. Very wise. Really wouldn't expect any less."

And then his smile fell clean off his face, slightly agape, eyes wide. He opened his mouth to say something, snapped his jaw shut, and then narrowed his eyes as though seeing through a conspiracy. "Oh no, Chief, I'm not walking into that one. You...mm-mm. No sir." Lucas bit his lower lip and shook his head slowly, even as his grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. He had a very vivid imagination and pairing Rylan with those words wasn't going to end well for either of them.

That firefighter was on a roll. Lucas laughed and shook his head again, rubbing the back of his neck with his prosthetic hand. That grin was going to be the death of him, melted on the spot. "You, are...something else, Rylan." He wrestled his mirth down to a smile, lop-sided but easily reaching his pale eyes. "But I have to ask, uh, being that it's kind of a big day and all -- should I let you do what you need to do? Working, I mean? Instead of me trying to flirt away your time?"

"Rylan, I find it hard to believe you're just anything." Lucas' eyes were happy crescent moons with his smile in place. "I think you're a lot more special then you're letting on." The firefighter's next words were rewarded with a deep sigh and a flicker of disappointment before the smile settled again. "Yeah, I figured. Couldn't be so lucky for you to be off now."

He didn't really want the man to go, and seeing Rylan standing there, waiting, he felt the need to fill the silence. It was a moment suspended in time, and Lucas didn't want to hesitate and risk losing it. "Hey, can I -- like, catch you on a break or after work sometime? Buy you a drink, maybe? Would be nice to chat with you again."

Lucas tilted his head to the side with a playful loft of his brow. The inquiry was innocent. It did, however, promise that the meeting could be a precursor to other, more serious things.