Hey guys!
This is an AU Brittana story in the point of view of Brittany, who is a firefighter in New York. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Glee characters in this story, but all ideas are original (some may be influenced by NBC's Chicago Fire)
It's the last hour of your shift and you really hope you don't get another call.
It's been, without a doubt, one of your most strenuous shifts in a while. At the crack of dawn there's an empty bomb threat at Grand Central, conveniently during the commuting hour, and you have to evacuate everyone. You get called in for six fires in total, more than you can ever remember for a single shift, and it's grueling.
But, you love what you do. You take the long hours, the danger, and the exhaustion without complaint, because it's worth it. It's so worth it, when you're able to save someone. When you carry them out of a burning building, and hear the cries of relief from their family and friends. It puts a smile on your face, no matter how tough the day is, to know that you've helped someone.
As you walk into the common room to grab something to eat, you can't help but roll your eyes when you see Mike and Sam playing blindfolded ping-pong. Puck and Finn root them on like they're watching the Superbowl, and you laugh when Sam swings and completely misses the ball.
"I hope you're not making fun of me, sis." Sam jokes as he lifts the bandana from his eyes.
You shrug and shoot your half-brother a grin. "We might share some genes, but you definitely didn't get the hand-eye coordination." He feigns a gasp and crosses his arms, giving you a playful glare.
"I'll have you know that I scored the winning run in the softball game against the NYPD last year." He puffs out his chest a little and nods his head.
"And I hit the double that drove you in." You open the fridge and pull out a yogurt. "Nice try, Sammy, but you're really no match."
The other three guys laugh at Sam, who pouts like a little kid. Mike comes up to you and gives you a high-five.
"Nice one, Pierce." You smile at your best friend. You don't have a lot of friends, with your kind of job, but the ones you have mean the world to you.
You're about to respond when you hear the alarm. Engine 18, Ambulance 32, multiple vehicle accident on 38th and Madison. You groan and put your yogurt back in the fridge.
"Time to suit up."
When you arrive at the scene, three police cars are already there. Mike pulls the truck to a stop and you hop out with the boys.
Blaine, your Lieutenant, jogs up to one of the officers. 'What are we looking at?" The officer runs a hand through his hair.
"A four car pileup." He glances toward the scene. "Some idiot ran a red light and the car in front slammed on his brakes, causing the other three to crash into him from behind." Mike fills in Chief Schuester, who gets to the scene just after you. You see glass, so much shattered glass, surrounding the cars. You hope the injuries aren't too severe, you've seen the damage that car accidents can do.
"Okay everyone, listen up." Chief scans the team. "Puckerman, Hudson, break the cars up. Anderson, Pierce, Chang, get the drivers out. Evans and Lynn, you're on crowd duty." The five of you run to the cars while Sam and Ryder go off to control the crowd.
You take the car in the front while Mike takes the one behind. The driver's side window is shattered, but the man inside is conscious.
"Hey there, what's your name?" you ask him, taking note of the bleeding on the left side of his temple.
"B...Brandon" he croaks, squeezing his eyes shut in pain.
You put your hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to get you out of here, Brandon. Just sit tight, okay?"
Kurt, the head paramedic, comes up next to you. "He could have spinal damage, I need to get a neck brace on him before you get him out." You stand back while Kurt fits the brace around his neck, and he finally clears you.
The door is jammed, so you take your axe and wedge it into the crack. After taking a deep breath, you pull as hard as you can and pry the door open.
"Alright Brandon, I'm going to help you out now. Do you think you can walk?" you ask, unbuckling his seatbelt.
"I think so, yeah." he responds.
"That's great." You look him in the eyes. "Okay, very slowly, I want you to move your legs out of the car." He complies, and you put your hands around his waist.
"I'm going to help lift you out now. You're doing great, Brandon." You slowly pull him out, and you feel his feet land on the ground. Kurt wheels a stretcher over to the car and the two of you lift Brandon onto it.
"Thank you so much." He manages a small smile, and you return it. "I hope you have a speedy recovery." you tell him, and Kurt wheels him to the ambulance.
After the call, and a long shower, you're done with your shift. You really just want to go home and sleep, but when Mike pleads for you to get a drink with everyone, you can't say no. Puck insists on going to a different bar than usual, claiming he wants "something other than the same chicks". You roll your eyes but appease him, and you drive up to a bar on 49th.
It's not too crowded, surprisingly, and the boys are sitting at a booth. Mike calls you over, but you tell him you're getting a drink at the bar. You love the guys, but occasionally you need a break from the testosterone.
You notice her right away when you sit down. She's pouring a drink, and she's beautiful. She's wearing a partly opened button button-down shirt, and a pair of shredded jean shorts. You've been to a lot of bars, and you've seen a lot of bartenders, but never one like her. One whose dark hair perfectly frames her face, who moves so gracefully behind the counter. You're mesmerized, and when she comes over to you, you haven't even thought about what you're going to order.
"Hey, what can I get for you?" She smiles, and god, she's pretty. Her eyes seem to glow like embers, and you feel like you're on fire under her gaze.
"I'm sort of feeling something fruity, it's been a tiring day." you tell her, and she laughs.
"I know just the thing, hold on a sec." She goes back and mixes a few things, you're not sure what, and in a minute she presents the drink to you with a smile.
Keeping your eyes locked on hers, you take a sip. A burst of tropical flavors hit you at once, and you're pretty shocked.
"This," You put the glass down. "Is amazing." She blushes, but gives you a grin.
"It's a passion fruit mojito. One of my favorites." she says, and holds out her hand. "I'm Santana, by the way."
You take her hand and shake it, trying to ignore the way your heart beats a little faster when you make contact. "I'm Brittany."
She moves away to dry some glasses, but keeps talking to you. "So, Brittany, what do you do that wears you out so much?"
"I'm a firefighter. It's tiring every day, but today was crazier than usual."
She stops what she's doing and looks at you, her brown eyes wide with surprise. "A firefighter?"
"What, a girl can't be a firefighter?" you ask, and you throw in a wink so she knows you're teasing.
Santana laughs. "I bet you're amazing at it, I was just surprised because most firefighters I've met are kind of mean." She comes up to you and smiles. "But you seem really nice."
Your cheeks heat up. You're not sure if she's flirting with you, but you really hope so. "Most of them just try to act all tough, but they're really not."
She sees that you've finished your drink and she clears it. "Can I get you another?"
"Unfortunately no, I probably have to drive some of those idiots home." You gesture over to the booth where the boys are downing shots. "But thank you so much for this, it was just what I needed." You're not sure if you're talking about the drink or her, or maybe both. "How much do I owe you?"
She waves your question off. "Don't worry about it, it's on the house."
"Thank you, Santana, wow… that's really nice." You're pretty sure you haven't smiled this much in a long time, and that's saying a lot, since you're you.
She suddenly looks sort of nervous, and she wrings her hands. "Brittany, um… I don't normally do this, and I don't even know if you like girls, but I was wondering if you'd let me take you out sometime."
You feel like your heart is about to jump out of your chest, because this gorgeous girl is actually asking you out. You don't meet many people, with the long shifts that you work, and you can't remember the last time you went on a date. A real date, not just a hookup that the boys pressure you into after a long day. You're so nervous, and so excited, and of course you'll say yes.
You reach out and grab her hand. "I'm very much into girls, and I'd really like that."
She sighs, you think, in relief, and her smile is radiant. Her dimples might be the cutest things you've ever seen. "Really?"
"Definitely." You grab a pen out of your bag and scribble your phone number on a napkin. "I have to get these guys home, but I can't wait."
Santana's eyelashes flutter under the dim light. "Keep saving lives, firefighter."
You wave and throw her a wink.
When you make your way back to the guys, most of them are completely wasted. Puck gives you a sloppy grin.
"How'd it go with the hot bartender?" he slurs, and you laugh.
"I have a date, while all you guys are getting are serious hangovers." They all laugh, and Mike smiles at you.
'I haven't ever seen you agree to a date that quickly, Pierce." he says, and you really haven't. But she's different, she's special.
"There's a spark between us, I can feel it." you tell him, and you've never been more sure of anything.