Hello! I'm sorry I have not uploaded anything in a long time. I have been very busy with work and the holidays were crazy. Sometimes I work six days in a row lol. But anyways, I'm kind of nervous because its been so long so pls tell me when you think in a review after you read.

It was Phil's first day at the fire station. He felt he could puke at any moment. When he arrived he was greeted by his new boss and was directed to the locker rooms. The other men were changing into their gear, preparing for any calls they might get.

"Gentlemen!" His boss, Jake, called out.

Phil cringed. He was about to be introduced to everyone.

Everyone turned to look towards them.

"This is Phil. Phil, this is everyone."

Phil smiled nervously.

Jake directed Phil to his locker.

"Hey, man," a stocky, short, Asian man cheerfully greeted him with a high-five.

"Hello," Phil replied. He was relieved when he met the high-five evenly.

Jake gave him the combination to his locker and left him to change into his gear. He turned to his locker, glancing sideways at the others. The men returned to their conversations and continued getting dressed, leaving Phil to his thoughts.

He changed quietly then turned to lace up his boots. He glanced up and noticed one of the men's lingering looks. He took in the man's brown hair, deep brown eyes, bare shoulders, and tall stature. He gulped and stared down at his shoes determinedly. When he was completely dressed he left the locker room, doing his best to avoid looking at the same man.

Later, he had discovered that the man who had been looking at him was named Dan. And the cheerful man who was very friendly, was named Mark.

They did not receive any calls that day. For that, Phil was grateful. He got time to meet everyone officially. His new co-workers did not fuss over him or single him out.

But although they were welcoming to him, he did not know what to offer the group. He ate lunch quietly, and completed all of his side tasks quietly. At the end of the day, he changed quickly and silently, then left work.

He still had unpacking to do at home, after all.

When he returned to his small one-bedroom, he checked his cell phone for calls and saw that he did have one from his sister. He dialed her back immediately as he opened up a box marked 'kitchen'. Inside he found his toaster and coffee maker, amongst other things.

"Hey, Phil," his sister, greeted him, having read her caller ID.

"Hey."

"How did everything go?"

"It was fine," Phil said. "It was like most first days, you know."

"Yeah," she agreed. "I just wanted to make sure everything went well, and, uhm," she hesitated.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I know but maybe if you did-."

"I don't want to, though," Phil repeated.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm glad everything went okay, thought."

"Yeah, me too." He agreed. "I have unpacking to do, though, still."

"Okay," his sister sighed. "I'll let you go for now, then."

"I'll talk to you later."

"Later," his sister agreed.

Dan heard a loud crash and glass breaking and knew that a chandelier must have fallen from the ceiling behind him. He looked back to see that Phil was still close behind.

Phil shot Dan a thumb up so he turned forward again. He was growing very hot in his gear. Sweat was running down the side of his face but he couldn't wipe it away. He trudged forward through the building, hearing crashes and cracks around him. Phil stayed just behind him the whole way through as they checked for anybody still in the building.

Outside he knew they were trying to put out the building, but it had been growing out of the control when they arrived. They didn't have much time.

Using his radio, Dan instructed Phil to check down a hall and that he would go another way.

"No," Phil said, his voice coming through the device in his ear. "We can't split up. I'll go with you."

"We're running out of time!" Dan argued into his radio. "Just go before we waste more time."

Dan knew Phil would've sighed but after a moment's hesitation he went the way Dan instructed him to go.

Dan continued to the other side of the apartment in the building.

Phil went down the hall, checking bedrooms and looking over his shoulder in case Dan should return to his side.

Phil then heard a woman's cry in the last bedroom. He burst the door open and found a brunette in the center of the room, looking helpless, clutching her hand.

"C'mon," Phil shouted to her.

Hope filled her horror struck face and she followed without hesitation. He led her back through the apartment now that he had the door open for her. A few times he had to backtrack as the path he and Dan took had become blocked by fire. He looked around for Dan as he went through the building and radioed for him, but got no response.

When he finally exited the building he helped the woman to an ambulance where she was given oxygen. Phil turned back to the building, but his work mates attempted to stop him.

"Dan's still in there!" Phil said, shaking their hands off him. He couldn't leave someone in a fire. Not again.

He ran back into the building this time, radioing for Dan. He returned to where they split up and found the ceiling/floor of the apartment above them had collapsed. Dan's suit was peeking out from beneath the wooden and cloth debris of half a couch.

Phil lifted the couch with some exertion. The couch must've hit Dan in the head, because he was out cold. Phil turned the other man over. He didn't react.

So Phil brought Dan to his feet by his armpits, then wrapped his arms around Dan's legs. He threw the other man over his shoulder and turned with a sway. He headed out of the building.

He carefully trudged down stairs and under barely stable door frames. He let out a breath of relief when he finally exited the building. He sat Dan down in the back of an ambulance and pulled his helmet off his head to allow an EMT to give him oxygen. He pulled his own mask off to get a better look at the unconscious man.

Despite just coming out of a burning building Dan seemed so peaceful. It almost calmed Phil's own nerves. The rest of the team was still working on putting out the building but one of them approached Phil and asked what happened.

Phil explained that Dan made him split up because they were running out of time. Then, he turned and vomited into a patch of grass.

Later that day, Phil and the other men were changing from their work clothes in the locker room.

Dan had awoken a few minutes after receiving oxygen.

After everyone from the apartment building has been attended to the fire fighters were cleared to return to their station. Their shifts came to a close and they began to complete their end of the day duties.

The other men excitedly cheered and high-fived when they decided to head to the bar after changing. Phil avoided eye contact with any of the other men.

He always felt as if he didn't quite fit in at the station. Not only was he a somewhat new fire fighter there, but he felt as if he was probably the only gay one among them, let alone from anywhere on the LGBT spectrum. Not that he had asked, but he wasn't about to.

"What about you, Phil? Are you up for it?" Dan said, approaching him.

Phil looked up.

"I kinda owe you a drink or something after all," Dan said and it took Phil a moment to realize he was referring to pulling him out of the building that day.

"Oh," Phil waved a hand dismissively.

"Yeah! C'mon Lester!" One of the other men urged him excitedly.

He smiled sheepishly when all of the attention turned towards him.

"Okay, okay." Phil stopped as everyone cheered again. He closed his locker, relieved to be officially done for the day, and said, "But just for a drink."

Phil took solace in his car, waiting to enter the bar for a few minutes. He hadn't been to a bar since his college days. But he didn't expect his co-workers to have as much energy as college students. It can't be too bad, he thought. It was Friday, after all.

He exited his car with a deep breath.

He walked passed a few other guests, who were smoking, as he approached the doors. Upon entrance he noticed that the bar was not as loud as he expected it to be. He supposed that it was too early for it to be very loud yet.

"Hey! You made it!"

Phil caught sight of his co-workers and smiled. He approached them and took an empty bar stool beside Dan.

"We thought you almost bailed," Dan said.

"Nah," Phil replied.

The rest of the men were paying more attention to a game on a television on the wall. Almost immediately he was greeted by a blonde bartender.

"What can I get you?"

Phil requested a hard root beer, glancing sideways at Dan.

"Coming right up," the blonde said and turned to retrieve the bottle from the cooler.

As she placed the bottle on the bar in front of Phil, she asked, "Would you like to pay as you go, or start a tab?"

"Put it on my tab," Dan jumped in.

"Sure."

The bartender turned away again.

"So who do you watch, Phil?" Mark, one of Phil's coworkers, asked.

"Huh?" Phil looked over, seeing that Mark was referring to the game the other men were watching.

"Oh, I don't really watch sports that much."

"Oh," Mark replied. "More of a video games person?"

"Uh, yeah," Phil replied. He was pleasantly surprised. He had expected a negative response to his declaration of not being a sports person.

"I don't really watch sports that much either," Dan said to him quietly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

As the afternoon continued Phil sipped on his drink while the other men watched the game.

One by one, they announced they were leaving for one reason or another. By around dinner time, Dan and Phil remained.

"Do you want another beer?" Dan asked Phil.

"Not really. I'm probably going to take off pretty soon here, actually," Phil confessed. He was growing hungry for dinner.

"Yeah, we don't want to be around when all the partiers come out." Dan agreed. "But I just wanted to sincerely say thank you for today."

"Oh, it's no problem," Phil made a dismissive gesture. He added, "Anytime."

Dan didn't respond, but watched as Phil took the last sip of his beer.

Phil began to stand and Dan jumped up as well. He waved to the bartender and said, "Hang on. I'll walk you out."

Phil stood and adjusted his sweater, then stuffed his hand into the pocket. The bartender approached.

"I just wanted to pay," he said.

"Okay, give me just a second," the blonde said. She returned in a few moments with a check presenter. Dan put a twenty into the book and left it on the counter.

"Okay, let's go," he said, putting his own hands into his pockets. He led the way out of the building and to the parking lot.

"Where are you parked?" Dan asked Phil.

Phil gestured to a section on the left side of the parking lot.

"Well, I'm over there," Dan gestured to the opposite side of the parking lot. "But I'll catch you on Monday."

"Okay, catch you later," Phil replied.

Dan turned away and Phil did the same.

He glanced back about halfway to his car, finding it astonishing that Dan was walking around as if he hadn't nearly lost his life in the burning building that day. He pretended to himself that he was not just watching the way Dan walked.

Dan reached his car, turned towards Phil as he unlocked his car, then waved with a smile.

Phil blushed, was grateful that Dan could not see it, and waved back.

okay im rather nervous so let me know what you think pls! I feel so bad after being away for so long. I didnt intend to be i swear! lol also pls check out my tumblr where in my post for this story i ask everyone about something pretty important so if you guys wanna check it out i would appreciate it greatly! yesiwritefanfics . tumblr . com