"What's now?" Severide asked looking back at the building he spent last night in.

It wasn't the worst experience in his life but if it was up to him he would do everything so not to relive it ever again.

"What else do you have in your mind for us?"

"Nothing. Feel free to make suggestions." Casey shrugged.

Truthfully he was in no mood for any more experiments too tired emotionally after their late night conversation. It wasn't that he regretted having it, they did need to talk. It was just that now all he wanted was to be left alone preferably with some booze.

"Then drinks it is. First round is on me." Severide said smirking at Casey's surprised reaction.

"What? I don't think you can manage anything else. You're already too colorful from that fight in the bar and our trip to woods." He teased him.

"Not that you came out intact either." Casey replied taking pleasure from their new found easiness around each other.

"Don't forget I'm not you. All I'll get from coming back with a black eye are some smirks from guys and maybe reproachful look from Shay but you… Oh, you'll be bombarded with all those questions like 'what happened' and 'how are you feeling'." He said smugly.

Casey sighed admitting the truth. He could make them keep quiet and not ask him directly but he knew there would be a lot of discussions behind his back and then maybe Dawson or Hermann would be send to him as some kind of negotiators. That kind of attention was what he needed the least.

"Great!" He muttered. "One more perks of being you."

"Not gonna argue" Severide laughed.

"Hey." He whined a second later rubbing the spot where Casey hit him in order to shut him up. "You're not going to injure me to draw their attention away from you, are you?"

"Wasn't thinking about that. But it's a pretty good idea actually." Casey chuckled advancing on Severide.

"Don't even think about that." He warned him while stepping back. "Or I'll tell Shay how you endanger my rehabilitation process"

"You need to have surgery first to even start talking about rehab."

"Doesn't matter. Shay will be pissed and then I wouldn't want to be you."

"Really? You're hiding behind your female roommate?" Casey asked incredulously.

"All's fair in war"

"Well, then I should obviously deal with Shay directly. Or maybe approach her through her best friend, Dawson." Casey suggested nonchalantly.

"Who's now hiding behind the girl?" Severide laughed and soon Casey joined him.


"What's between you and Dawson?" Severide asked after settling down with his beer in some bar they found on their trip back to Chicago.

"What do you mean? We're friends."

"Don't bullshit me!" Severide snorted. "Me and Shay are friends and you're anything but them."

"And who do you think we are?"

"Idiots."

"How insightful" Casey rolled his eyes.

"You are. Because the whole firehouse knows you like each other and it looks like you two are the only ones still pretending there's nothing between you. With all those looks she's giving you and all that…"

"The whole firehouse?"

"Oh yeah" Severide nodded. "I take it something finally is going on if it's the only thing that surprised you?" He looked at him curiously.

"Not that much."

"Come on, tell me."

"Be careful, you're turning into a nosey spinster. Don't you have your life to be interested in?"

"Well, my girlfriend just left to Spain, so no, I don't."

"Why did you let her go?" Casey asked seriously. "You looked so happy with her"

"I thought you didn't want for me to leave with her."

"Of course I didn't. You're my friend and the only one I'm trusting to have my back. Still why did you do that? You could try to continue your relationships from afar or I don't know something like that."

"No, we couldn't. She's a lawyer with a career to pursue and I'm a firefighter who doesn't know anything else, doesn't want to work anywhere else. There was no future for us."

"And how are you feeling about it now?"

"Like I don't want to talk about it. The same we aren't talking about you breaking with Hallie for good."

"Point taken" Casey nodded. He could relate to the concept of being from different worlds with no future together. After all that was exactly the battle he lost totally with Hallie.

"Is she the reason?"

"Reason for what?"

"You drinking in the bar?" Severide nudged.

"Hallie? No, of course not." Casey answered. He was still hurt of their end but she wasn't his main problem now. "She's in the past. What else is there for me to do?"

"But then what's the problem? Why aren't you with Dawson, building your happily ever after?"

"Why are you so determined to learn about us?" Casey asked confused but then he had a thought. "Shay made you ask, didn't she?"

"No"

Casey looked at him pointedly.

"Well, maybe she mentioned something like that. But she didn't ask me anything? If any I'm sure she already got everything from Dawson. So either you tell me or Shay."

"There's nothing to tell."

"Really" He said seeing unbelief in Kelly's face. "We spent some time together. And I enjoyed it very much. But she wanted more and now isn't the best time. Thus, there's nothing to tell."

"Seriously" Severide couldn't believe that. "You can have a girl with a huge and I mean huge crush on you and you're telling her it's not the best time."

"What's wrong with that? I wanted to do everything right with her and she deserved better than to go second after my problems."

"God, you really don't understand what you did." Severide sighed. "You rejected her."

"I didn't. I explained what's going on and she understood."

"You did spend too much time in relationships with Hallie."

"Enough. You asked, I answered but I'm not going to sit through your lecture here."

"Okay" Severide said still smirking.

"I said enough Kelly."

"Okay, okay. Calm down" He stopped with teasing. "Don't be so nervous."

"Tell me about that surgery of yours. You said it was risky."

"Not a good change of theme" Severide frowned.

"It's either that or your girlfriends. What do you prefer?"

"None of them."

"Bad for you." Casey shrugged. "Because after me answering you it's your turn and so I repeat which one will it be."

"Surgery" Severide grumbled. "But after that no talking about our problems."

"Deal"

"Renee brought me to her friend, doctor who specialized in experimental surgery. I don't understand the whole thing either but they can borrow some tissue from other part and in the end it can give me full recovery."

"And the risky part?"

"It's very delicate task and if they mess up even a little I can end up paralyzed." He explained. "But it's worth the risk, right?"

"One'd tell a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

"But you don't think so?" Severide asked not sure he understood where Casey was going with that.

"I don't think we have that bird in the hand."

"Yeah, right." He smiled. "I should tell my old man that, he'd like the metaphor."

"Does he know about the surgery?" Casey wasn't sure where Severide stood with his father.

"Yeah, I told him. Just before I told Renee I'm staying."

"Who knew he'd be the one I went for an advice?" He mumbled.

"He's your father."

"What a father?! Never been there for me!"

"It doesn't matter. He's still your Dad and you're still expecting for him to appear and help you when things go wrong."

"Stupid hope."

"But an understandable one."

"Okay, that's enough for today. Let's try more neutral topic for once."

"Do you want to hear about my latest job as a contractor?"

"Seriously?! You don't have any topics except for work-related?"

"Do you have?"

"Of course" Severide said but few minutes passed and he was still looking for new theme.

"Fine, I'm listening" He muttered giving up eventually.

"You not only apologized twice but also admitted your defeat. The weekend can't be better."

"Very funny"

"Indeed" Casey nodded with a content smile.


"Obviously, we aren't good at simple talking. Maybe we should try other activities instead. " Severide suggested after a whole thirty minutes of struggling through all those terms he had no idea of meaning.

"Like what? I don't think you'll be any good with a pool over there and truth be told I'm not sure about myself either."

"Pool, really Casey? I expected from you more than that. I'm not a girl you need to impress." Severide smirked. "There's much more suiting for men thing. You'd know if you were from Squad."

It didn't take much effort from Casey to understand what he was talking about. And no way was he going there. Not after the last time disaster of them playing cards.

"Thank you very much but I've learned my lesson not to play with you ever again." Casey denied immediately.

"Come on. It wasn't that bad."

Casey simply glared at him; in his books it wasn't simply bad it was worse.

"I'm at least trying. What you suggest we do?!" Severide dared him.

Casey looked around frantically trying to get inspiration from anything. Usually they would just sit with beer in hands and some small talk with Severide bragging about his new girl or discussing some of their calls. But tonight those were forbidden topics and that left him with nothing. He knew if he didn't find some alternative he would be doomed to play poker with Severide.

"I'm still waiting" Severide pushed knowing that Casey was out of options. He was one step from winning their argument.

"I think we should" He started hoping for miracle to save him and strangely it came, as a girl singing some sickly-sweet love song.

"We should try karaoke"

"What?!" Severide yelled in a pure shock.

"Do you have any problems with that? It shouldn't be hard for you physically and we even can say it's one more of our experiments. I didn't think you'd be afraid to try something new." Casey said playfully amused by his obvious discomfort.

"What problem could I have of making fool of himself in front of all these people?!" Severide muttered defensively.

"Well, first of all you won't be alone there." Casey tried to reassure him. "It's just one song don't make me force you there like a little child. Or should I think you're too scared for that?"

"Okay" Severide grumbled not happy at all but still not willing to lose to Casey. "But you go first."

"Then I'm choosing the song." Casey agreed without any fight much to Kelly's displeasure.


"Let's go. It's our turn now."

Severide looked around. The place was full of people. His only hope was that they were too busy with their own business to pay any notice to him and Casey.

"Are you going to tell me what we are singing? Or your idea of karaoke includes me finding out in the process?" Severide grumbled but Casey just smiled at him not at all affected by his attitude proceeding walking to the stage.

"Hey! It's not funny! Casey!" Severide yelled realizing that he indeed had no intention of telling him.

"Welcome two pretty boys here with their song!" The host announced and Severide winced. Could this get any worse?!

Then the music began and Casey stepped forward.

When you're weary
Feeling small
When tears are in your eyes
I will dry them all

Well, at least now Severide knew the song. And okay, Casey chose the one for two of them to sing but really, couldn't he pick the one more suiting for men. All these 'drying your tears' just weren't for Severide.

I'm on your side
When times get rough
And friends just can't be found
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

Casey turned now singing directly to him and somehow it all started make sense. Maybe it wasn't the idea of original performers but Severide found himself nodding to the words. It suited them so well. He wasn't angry anymore for Casey choosing this song. Severide smiled at him and stepped forward.

When you're down and out
When you're on the street
When evening falls so hard
I will comfort you

They were there for each other no matter what and it was damn time for him to admit it not only to himself but to his best friend, too. Because it was more than job for him rushing inside all those buildings in order to protect Casey, much more.

I'll take your part
When darkness comes
And pain is all around
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down

He meant each of the words he sang. He was ready to give up himself to spare Casey of the pain and darkness and he knew the blonde felt the same.

Sail on Silver Girl,
Sail on by
Your time has come to shine
All your dreams are on their way

Now they were singing together, not looking at each other but still feeling the other one by some sixth sense they shared.

See how they shine
If you need a friend
I'm sailing right behind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind

They finished the song only now realizing that the whole bar was looking at them now, obviously not as busy as Severide had hoped previously. Few seconds of anxiety and they were met with round of applauds.

"See, it wasn't that bad after all" Casey bumped into him playfully.

"Maybe" Severide admitted. "But don't think about repeating anything like that in Chicago"

"Don't even mention it or you'll end up in troubled water without any bridge." He added getting look of mocked fear out of Casey.


A/N: As I promised we finished with hard stuff and are now back to their friendly banter. There are not so many reviews as earlier so I can only hope you still love the direction. So don't forget to leave even few words before leaving.

Pallada, thank you very much for your help with this chapter and especially with the song.

Dixiewinxwrites12, here is a little discussion about Renee we were talking about.

Me, I agree about him wanting reaction, the one he eventually got from his father. Happy to give you what you wanted from the show:)

Andorian Ice Princess-AIP, I know you aren't fond of her but you don't need to worry at all. ;)