Summary: They're still firefighters, but other than that this doesn't really follow the series. Already established relationship, and pure fluff. Oneshot. Casey/Severide slash. Reviews loved!
Author's Note: It totally baffles me how there aren't more slash fics with this pairing. I'm in the middle of several long works between two different pennames at the moment, so my first contribution to this fandom is going to be a oneshot. Once I wrap things up on my old pseudonym, I've decided to make this one my permanent "home," at which point I'll write something a lot longer for our favorite firehouse boys. In the meantime, consider this a teaser for what's to come! Reviews are loved and most appreciated! (By the way, the hash tags are to separate the past from the present.)
Just a Simple Moment
Severide was not typically an early riser on his days off, but on this morning he finds himself wide awake just a few hours shy of daybreak. He lets out a soft sigh and takes great care not to rouse the person whose head is resting on his chest as he attempts to adjust himself into a more comfortable position. Once he settles the best he can, he looks down at the man in his arms and his mind wanders off, recounting events from the previous night.
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The last call of their shift was the roughest one, but they hadn't known that at the time. An apartment building had caught on fire, and the usual team was sent out for duty. Despite their best efforts the blaze had eventually gotten out of their control. Chief Boden gave the order for his team to retreat the minute he sensed the building was going to cave in on itself.
Outside, Severide had held his breath in anticipation, as he so often did. He became especially agitated when he noticed Casey was nowhere in sight. He knew the blonde's natural instinct to play the role of White Knight, and as much as he understood and was guilty of the same, it didn't change the fact that he wished the man just wouldn't. When Hermann and Cruz, both of whom had also been missing, appeared from the building with no Casey trailing behind them, Severide could no longer keep his cool. He approached Boden.
"Chief. Casey's still in there."
The jaw of his superior tightened. "I know."
"Okay? So?" Severide had said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Let me go in there, Chief. I'll get him out."
"No," Boden had said firmly. "It's too dangerous. Casey knows the risks just as well as the rest of us do. No one's going in."
That had made Severide angry. "You can't be serious! There's still time!"
"We don't even know for sure where he is," Boden had countered. "What I am sure of, is that this building is going to come down. There is no time."
"But Chief!"
"The answer is no, Severide."
"Fine," Severide had said. "You know what? You're right. We all know the risks. You know what else? Getting suspended for disobeying the direct order of my superior? I'll take that risk."
"Severide!" Boden had shouted at him as he turned and ran towards the blaze. "Lieutenant! You have a responsibility to your team as a leader. Get back here at once!"
"Like hell!" Severide had yelled back over his shoulder.
The only thing that had been on the forefront of his mind was Casey's well being. They had come too far in their relationship to lose it all to an unruly fire. The transition from coworkers with a strained friendship to lovers had been a bit of an awkward one, but in the end things had managed to fall into place. At some point Severide finally stopped being so hard-headed and Casey allowed himself to be less guarded. The chief, of course, had given them the expected warning not to let personal feelings take priority over professionalism and for the most part that hadn't been an issue, mostly thanks to Casey. Moments like these, however, tended to really test the self-control of both men.
Before he could get too close to the building, Severide was tackled down from behind by Peter Mills, the firehouse's candidate and someone who understood the lieutenant's sentiments well. The young man had caught Severide by surprise, and they tousled for a bit.
"Get off me, Mills!"
"No can do, Lieutenant!" Mills had said.
"Casey's still in there!"
"Believe me, I understand, but if Chief says there's no time, there really is no time."
"I don't want to hurt you, kid!"
Before Mills could respond, Casey miraculously popped out of the building just minutes before the chief's prediction came true. Smoke trailed behind him and he had gestured with his hands wildly while coughing.
"Back...!" he had said. "Back...! Back!"
Though stunned, both Severide and Mills had gotten up quickly. They caught Casey and each wrapped an arm around their shoulders as they helped him away from the apartment complex. All three men had their feet knocked out from under them when the building finally collapsed and sent out a resulting tremor. Once he recovered his bearings, the first thing Severide did was check Casey over.
"Damnit, Matt! What the hell were you doing in there? You could've died!"
Casey looked tired, but he had managed to give Severide a cheeky grin. "It'll...take more than that...to get rid of me."
"Not funny, Matt," Severide had said, shaking his head.
Casey had chuckled then, but his laughter was raspy and was soon interrupted by a fit of coughs. Severide pulled him in for a tight embrace and planted a firm kiss on the man's forehead not caring at all who was watching. Soon after he called for Leslie Shay and Gabriela Dawson, the paramedic duo.
"C'mon, Kel...m'fine," Casey had muttered. "No need to baby me..."
"Just shut up," Severide had said back. "Don't even start."
That evening after shift, Shay had driven Casey's car from the firehouse back to the apartment she and Severide shared so that Severide could take the other man home in his. Exhausted and knowing better than to attempt reasoning with Severide while he was in over-protective mode, Casey had gone along with the arrangement without argument.
Dinner had been peaceful; the meal preparations had been a team effort. The three later settled in their seats and ate over soft-spoken conversation. Severide had sat closer to Casey than usual, and the blonde hadn't complained, not even as Severide murmured sweet romanticisms in his ear and gently nuzzled his face with great affection in the crook of Casey's neck in front of Shay.
Eventually, as the evening wore down, the two men had ventured towards the living room and settled on the couch. They had both seated themselves longways; Severide had one leg stretched out while the other hung off the couch, and Casey had lain on his stomach on top of him, head resting on his chest. Severide flipped channels with one hand while he ran his hand through the blonde's hair with the other. Shay had pretended to be preoccupied with a magazine while leaning against the island counter in the kitchen, but she sneaked in a few glances when she was sure the other men weren't looking. She smiled every time she caught a sweet moment, like when Casey absentmindedly played with part of Severide's shirt or when Severide would occasionally look down and stare at Casey instead of watching the the show playing on screen. When Shay finally decided to go upstairs, the two men had fallen fast asleep. Shay had taken the remote out of Severide's limp hand and shut the television off before climbing up the stairs to go to her room.
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Shay is mildly surprised to find Severide awake when she comes back down the stairs the next morning. She opens her mouth to say something but halts when Severide points down at Casey and then puts a finger to his lips. They exchange small smiles before Shay walks over to the kitchen area to make some coffee.
When Shay's back is turned, Severide returns his attention to Casey, who is still peacefully resting. Though Casey is normally the light sleeper, the events from the night before are keeping him out cold. After a few minutes, Severide's eyes begin to grow heavy and he slowly moves himself a little lower on the couch so that he can lean his head back down on the armrest. His final thought before he drifts back to sleep is how he can't wait to look into the other man's blue-green eyes when he wakes, their shade similar to his own only softer, like the man himself. He thinks about things they can do once they both get up, like how they'll make the most of their day off, what jokes he'll tell to make the man laugh, and about the physical ways he can express his love and affection.
When he dreams, it's of how they'll spend the rest of their lives together.