"Matt, c'mon!" Matt Casey chased after his friends, the summer sun lowering in the sky. Andy and Kel were worming their way through the crowd, determined to get to the pit before the final set of the night kicked off. He caught up with them, trapped in the swarm of bodies as the music began, people writhing in time to the music. Blink had started their set, and the crowd was electric. He pushed and pulled with the crowd, never losing his step. It was twenty five minutes of joy and movement, and by the time it ended he was sweaty from the hot Chicago day as well as the crowd. He caught arms with his friends, linking up and walking to the exit via a hot dog stand.
"We need to do this next year!" Andy proclaimed, raising his fist to the sky. "Next time Blink play Chicago, we're going. I'll mow however many lawns I need to, we're doing it." They all agreed, laughing their way to Andy's mom's minivan that was waiting for them. In return for letting the three sixteen year olds spend the day at Warped Tour, Matt's mom had dropped them in and Andy's was picking them up. By the time Mrs. Darden had let him off at his mom's, Matt waved in goodbye.
Matt missed the next Blink show, being sent from foster home to foster home after his Mom's trial happened. But Kelly and Andy refused to lose track of him, and clubbed together to buy tickets to a show in August. He got to spend a night screaming and dancing, and the relief the show brought him was second to none.
It became their thing, but by the time they were full time in CFD they were getting tired of it. The shows were rarely in Chicago itself anymore, they'd started to have to take furlough days, and with Andy having his first kid it was constantly tiring. The trio decided that the next tour would be the last one they went to. If there were others they could make they'd do it, but the constant travelling for shows just wasn't an option anymore.
Matt picked up his friends and they drove out to Tinley Park where the concert was happening, rather than in Chicago proper. They handed over their tickets and got their hands stamped to confirm they were under 21, but stood at the back of the auditorium, staring up at the stage. When the support act came on, he felt the same rush he had that day at Warped tour before, staring at the band on stage. Kelly and Andy were both tapping their feet, and when a look passed between the three of them they joined in the fray.
Driving back to Chicago, weary but glad they'd gone, Kelly was the first one to speak. "I got the support's tape, want me to put it in?" They agreed, and he slid it in and hit play. As soon as the drums and guitar came over the crackly speakers, Matt started tapping his hands to the beat.
While the Blink shows had stopped happening, they ended up seeing New Found Glory whenever they came to Chicago. They tended to actually play in the city, meaning their day trips to other parts of Illinois didn't happen any longer. Instead, once a year or so they'd take an evening and go to House of Blues or whichever venue they popped up at this time, get food and drinks and watch a show. Hallie came a couple of times, as did Heather and whoever Kelly was dating that month, but the three never missed a trip to the show. Matt would come home with bruises from the pits, but it made him feel alive and aware, the three refused to miss it.
The week after Andy died, their tickets for the Sticks and Stones anniversary tour arrived. Matt stared at the envelope for a month in disbelief. It was like a sick joke from USPS. They'd lost their friend, Hallie had left him, and he and Kelly blamed themselves and each other for Andy's death. Heather had asked him not to visit after the funeral, the boys didn't want to see him.
The concert date drew nearer, and finally he brought the tickets into work with him, cornering Kelly in his quarters.
"These arrived…I think we need to decide what to do with them." Matt handed over the envelope, watching as his friend's carefully constructed mask almost broke when he saw what was there.
"We go. Andy would kill us for missing this tour, the first tour we actually saw was the original Sticks and Stones tour. We go and we'll pour one out for him." Matt nodded, a lump in his throat.
"Agreed. We don't need furlough, but we're in the next morning. Sounds good to me."
They agreed to get food before, ending up at a gastropub, eating steak and really talking for the first time. Matt revealed that he'd watched Andy die in front of his eyes, something Kelly had no idea about. Once doors opened they went in, taking their usual spots at the back of the auditorium. They were starting to become the older people there, and they left the pits for the teenagers. The support came and went, but it wasn't until the third song came on that Matt fully comprehended Andy was never coming back to them.
"An empty chair at all the tables, and I'll be seeing you when all my days boil down!" The song continued, but Matt's tears started falling. For Andy, for Heather, for the boys he thought of as nephews. For Hallie and the fact he still saw her on a regular basis thanks to their jobs. For being 31 and single and losing the longest and best relationship of his life. For his Mom getting out of jail and him standing up for her.
He didn't know when Kelly saw his tears, but his best friend put an arm around him. The two of them screamed the lyrics in unison, grief uniting them where before it had torn them apart. They spent the rest of the show doing what they'd done from the first Warped Tour the three of them had been to, screaming lyrics at the top of their lungs and badly dancing. It didn't matter how much they tried acting like the officers of the CFD they were, the catharsis of live music was something that never went away.
After Hallie died and he'd reached his uneasy truce with Voight to bring her killers to justice, Kelly surprised him with tickets to a show in Milwaukee. Kelly drove, and the two went again. It became normal, whenever the band was in town they'd go, or if one of them was hurting they'd find a show in driving distance and go. After Shay died Matt got them tickets to a festival purely so they could go. When he and Gabby split up, Kelly got tickets to a Chicago show. Gabby and Shay had both come to shows with them before, but it was never the same as just the two of them there together.
Matt had come to recognise people at shows, and they'd nod at each other. Chicago may have been a big city, but when you always saw a band in a small venue you got to know people. Even though Kelly and Stella were officially a couple now - and didn't that make Matt laugh that Kelly Severide had settled down while Matt was officially divorced - Kelly hadn't told Stella about their concerts. He made excuses, said they went for nights out, but never gave her the information about it. Matt had asked, but Kelly just shrugged and said he'd never asked a serious romantic partner anyway, he wasn't going to start now.
The fact that Kelly hadn't told Stella made it all the more surprising when Matt bumped into Sylvie Brett at the bar, Brett buying two longnecks and grimacing at the price of the beers. She turned away and literally bumped into Matt's chest as he was reaching over.
"I'm so sorry…wait, Casey?" He looked down and saw her, giving a smile.
"Hey Brett, didn't expect to see you here. I thought you were more a pop fan?" He asked, passing over his cash and a tip to the bartender for he and Kelly's drinks.
"Cap…Casey, do you think you could be a teenager in the US in the mid 2000s and not like this band? When Stella said she bought two tickets but her roommate couldn't come I jumped at the chance. Who're you here with?" She asked, following Matt's eye line and spotting Stella and Kelly wrapped around each other. She laughed, smiling at Matt. "Turns out we'll be spending the show together?"
They delivered the beers to their respective friends, before Sylvie pulled Matt into the crowd. It wasn't the same as being there with Kelly, but he was able to put his guard down and still have the cathartic night he was after. The four met up outside after the show and went to Molly's for some drinks before heading home for shift.
Knowing that Sylvie and Stella were fans meant that their duo was generally a foursome whenever a show came up. Officially they'd buy tickets as twos, but once they were inside Kelly and Stella would be joined at the hip, so Matt and Sylvie stayed together. At the show that came up after Otis died they held onto each other and screamed through the pain, Matt helping Sylvie crowd surf when some people nearby pulled her onto their shoulders. She came out of the show grinning, a bruise forming on her arm where she'd nearly been dropped, but ecstatic.
"Best moment of my life. Otis always dared me to do something like that, and I never even thought about it." Her smile lit up the street outside, and once she spoke Matt realised he'd fallen for her without even meaning to.
The pandemic had caused their concert trips to end, but when there were some live-streamed shows they bought tickets to watch online together. One of them ended up being on a night they were on shift, so the four of them turned the briefing room into a makeshift concert arena, using the projector and lowering the blinds. Ritter, Gallo and Mackey all came in while they were watching, before leaving and laughing about old music.
By the time the latest album was released, Matt was head over heels for Sylvie. Kelly had tried convincing him that she felt the same way, but he was nervous even thinking about it. The last time he'd had a relationship with someone he worked with it ended in disaster, but it was Sylvie. She was the opposite of Gabby in so many ways, except they both were strong women who cared deeply. Taking a deep breath on a day off in between shifts, he put his mask on and drove to Reckless Records.
He found the album on vinyl easily, and bought a copy for them to listen to. He stopped off at a liquor store for a bottle of rose, as well as Sylvie's favourite Thai place that he'd heard her complain she'd moved just too far away from for delivery to pick up dinner. He was nervous going into the elevator, but knocked at 4B, waiting for her response.
Sylvie was in a tee and jeans, her hair pulled back from her face. She looked like an angel was the first thing Matt thought of, and he missed the first thing she said.
"…it's so good to see you! What'd you bring over?" Matt handed over the takeout bag.
"I know you like Thai Lagoon but they don't deliver this far, so I picked up dinner? I also thought we could listen to the new record, it just came out today?" Matt held up the bag with the album, and Sylvie grinned.
"So much better than Spotify, for sure. I'll grab plates, wanna put that on now?" True to her word Sylvie was back with plates and cutlery in a few minutes, while Matt had started the first song. They curled up on the couch, eating and listening. Once they finished eating they stayed there listening, until Matt heard the lyrics of the song.
"You like my sense of humour, and I like the way you smile. And we both love long conversations, so why don't you stay awhile?"
Taking a breath, he turned, looking at Sylvie cosy in her seat. "C'mon, dance with me," he said, standing and holding out his hand. She took it, smiling up at him as they swayed out of time to the song. As it started to end, Matt took his courage and reached down, gently kissing Sylvie. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding them together. They stayed like that until the record needed to be turned, making out in the middle of her living room like teenagers.
That they started dating didn't shock anybody in 51, and Matt was pretty sure Mouch won the pool on when they'd get together. It didn't feel like much had changed between them, except now Matt spent more evenings in her bed than his own. He made the decision to buy a house that he could call theirs, and Sylvie helped him pick one out. It had work needed, but between his contractor contacts and her abilities with sandpaper and paint they got it put together in a couple of months, ready to move in.
The first night they were there was magical for both of them. They sat in front of the TV, a Blackhawks game on and Sylvie dozed off against his chest. She woke at the final whistle, and Matt realised that this was everything. By the time he found the little blue box he'd had hidden in a pair of socks for a month she was about to get into bed, wearing his CFD shirt and her underwear. Matt hit the play button on his phone, More and More beginning to play through the phone speaker as he walked into the room.
"Matt, why did you put on the music?" She asked, before her jaw dropped as he got on one knee.
"Sylvie Brett, I can't believe this is my life. I'm going to promise to keep loving you more and more, every day. I want a partner, someone I can rely on and who can rely on me. Will you marry me?" She was crying as he spoke, and before he even got the words out she was nodding. As soon as the question was stated her response came.
"Yes. I would be honoured to marry you, Matt Casey."
Their wedding was bigger than either was comfortable with, but with the pandemic over they couldn't justify leaving anybody out of their day. The entire firehouse was there, along with both of their families. They'd invited some of the high ups in CFD as well, forced to play nice with politics. They'd both been surprised at the amount of notice their relationship had received, but because she reported directly to Boden there was no conflict of interest that HQ could expose.
When Sylvie walked up the aisle, Matt thought his heart would beat out of his chest. She was in a sweetheart neckline gown, a shawl over her shoulders and upper arms in deference for the Firefighter's Church they were marrying in. Her Methodist Reverend and his Catholic priest blessed the union, and they were cheered by their friends and family as they kissed to seal the marriage, a grin on both of their faces.
When they arrived in the reception hall it was filled with everyone they knew and loved, and they barely had a moment to themselves. Stella and Kelly took their roles as Matron of Honour and Best Man seriously, delivering the newlyweds bites of food and water every few minutes. They'd kept their first dance song secret, and it wasn't until they'd made their way into the middle of the floor that the DJ began to play the song they'd gotten engaged to.
You're priceless art with the kindest heart, I can't believe this is my life.
Kelly and Stella grinned, recognising the song immediately. They watched their best friends start the beginning of their lives together to the band that had soundtracked so much of it already.