A/N: I'm back! This is again in response to alyssialui's Twister Challenge. My round 15 entry this time. This week we had to choose an AU (Alternate Universe) to write on, and I chose Fire-fighters. When you read this, please keep in mind that I am from Australia, so if any details seem different than the way fire-fighters work elsewhere, then it's just because of the country difference. Enjoy!
*HP*DM*HP*DM*
SUMMARY: Draco is a fire-fighter, and gets a call out one day to attend a fire in a block of apartments. As part of an extraction team, he battles through and into the building to rescue the trapped victims. Harry is one of these victims. Who should chase Draco down a week later to thank him? Harry, of course! Non-Magic, pre-slash/light-slash AU, language warning, OCC.
*HP*DM*HP*DM*
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Draco rolled over until his hand hit his pager. Holding it close to his face, he squints as he tries to read it.
"Shit." Draco mutters to himself as he jumps out of bed. Only half awake, Draco looks at his clock (3am), pulls on the closest shirt –hung over his bed post— and the closest pair of pants –on the floor by his feet—and slipped on his shoes. Grabbing his pager, phone and keys, he heads out the door, barely remembering to lock it on the way.
Breaking into a jog, Draco makes his way around the corner before pausing to unlock the station doors and press the button to raise the roller doors to pull the truck out. Hoping that someone qualified to drive the big tanker truck would show up for the call out. Moving towards the back of the station, Draco doesn't hesitate to pull on his turn out uniform (consisting of pants, jacket and helmet, all fire resistant) before working his way back to the front of the station.
"Wood! Hurry your arse up!" Draco called as Oliver Wood appeared from around the bend.
"Fuck Malfoy, can't you let someone else get here first?" Wood panted as he jogged past Draco to put his turn out gear. Wood lived a minute closer than Draco, and Draco always showed up first.
"You wish Wood, you wish." Draco called back to him.
"Weasley Twins are a minute behind me!" Wood called back, just as Draco saw them running straight for him. Ducking to the side, he let them past, swearing under his breath. They still didn't have a driver.
"Get that look off your face Malfoy, I'm bloody well here!" Zabini called as his Ute pulled up haphazardly on the curb. Finally, someone who could drive the damned truck.
"'Bout bloody time Zabini." Draco shook his head and held the door open as Zabini pushed past him. Following, Draco pulled himself into the passenger seat of the tanker truck. The Twins and Wood followed a moment later.
"Should we wait for Krum to at least show up?" One of the Twins chirped happily and Draco just shook his head before responding.
"We'll be here all morning waiting for him. We just need to go."
"Ask and you shall receive Draco dear." Zabini winked at Draco as he pulled himself into the driver's seat. "Fasten your seatbelts fellas; it's going to be a bumpy ride." Zabini turned only the lights on as he pulled out of the station.
Draco lost track of time as Zabini sped down the main road. Keeping his eyes on the road, Draco motioned at the street that Zabini needed to turn down. Following his directions silently, Zabini pulled up on the curb, just in front of the apartment block that was clearly on fire.
"Twins, suit up for extraction. Wood, form a perimeter; I don't want any civilians or victims standing any closer than the other side of the road. Zabini, call for at least one ambulance, and if the blaze starts getting out of control, call for backup. Get the truck ready with Wood's help and start going for it. I'm going in for extraction." Draco started ordering as soon as the truck was semi-stationary. Whilst he couldn't drive the truck, he was a leader, and he ranked higher than the current attending fire-fighters.
Grabbing a medic bag and an oxygen mask and tank, he strapped himself up and started heading towards the building, with a Twin on either side.
"I'll take top two floors, you two take the rest!" Draco ordered before taking off up the stairs closest to the entrance.
He didn't take notice of much as he swept each floor, not until the last room, where there was a male in his mid-20's collapsed on the floor by his bed. Radioing down, Draco told the others that he had a victim and was heading down. The Twins had already cleared their floors.
Not having time to check for any major injuries, Draco hoisted the raven haired male over his shoulder and started his descent back outside.
"Malfoy, ambulance is here. Your victim is the only one, so you're clear to bring him down." Wood's voice sounded from the radio.
Placing his victim in the care of the paramedics, Draco helped put the remainder of the fire out and clean the place up. Investigators would go in and determine what started the fire, but Draco's night, thankfully, was over.
*HP*DM*HP*DM*
Draco adjusted his jacket as the weak sun disappeared behind clouds once again. He was headed to the cafe just up the street that he often frequented before the meeting at the station in an hour. Having run out of his favourite hot chocolate, Draco had decided just to buy one, rather than travel to the store to buy more. He could do that tomorrow.
Sitting at his usual spot, Angelina bought out his hot chocolate and smiled slightly. Draco knew she was quite pretty, but he had no interest in the female gender, so he stuck to trying to find a decent male partner.
Draco's thoughts drifted as he sat in the cafe drinking his hot chocolate and it wasn't until he was about to leave that he was disturbed.
"Draco? Draco Malfoy?" A tentative voice came from his left side. Startled, Draco looked up at the attractive raven-haired male (with two piercings in his right ear and eyeliner framing his eyes) before nodding slightly. "My name is Harry Potter. A few guys at the fire station told me where I could find you."
"And why, Mr. Potter would someone such as yourself be looking for me?" Draco raised a pale eyebrow in question as he appreciated the good looks of the darker male.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy, I believe that your –sexy- self was the one that saved me last week in the apartment fire. And I do wish to find a way to repay you." Harry winked as he sat in the seat opposite Draco.
'I could definitely think of some form of repayment,' Draco thought to himself, 'all of which include a bed and a hell of a lot of nakedness.'