and so it begins. the LDR that I have a good feeling will last because it's Brettsey and they love each other immensely. they are on the same page, and they will be okay. or at least it's what i tell myself.
i will go down fighting about the fact that 'Come Back…Be Here (Taylor's Version)' is Brettsey's long distance song. i had the song on repeat during the time i wrote chapter 1 of this fic. definitely give it a listen either while reading this fic, or afterwards. otherwise, enjoy!
We'll make it work. I love you.
Tears in her eyes, Sylvie tried not to make a scene in the locker room and turned off her phone. She pocketed it and left, hoping she could make it to her car before anyone asked why she was crying.
Talk tomorrow, I love you.
His voice made her feel like she could do it. She could do the long distance, not having him to hold her at night. They'd beat around the bush for years, it wasn't much different now. Except she loved him.
See, this isn't that bad! We can do it. I love you.
He loved her. Sometimes that thought alone brought Sylvie to a halt at work. He loved her. Matt Casey, the man she had worked alongside for years without having a one-on-one conversation, loved her. It was a scary feeling after so long of not feeling wanted or loved or properly appreciated by anyone except her platonic friends. Until him.
And then after they finally told each other how they felt and had a blissful few months sleeping over at each other's places, he got up and moved across the country to Oregon. Sylvie knew it was for Andrew Darden's boys, and that he wasn't abandoning her like Gabby had. But it still hurt so much to watch him leave and only see him through a grainy phone screen until they could see each other again.
Sorry I missed your call. Ben is struggling more than I thought. I'll try later when he's at school. I miss you and I love you.
Working opposite shifts for a whole week had had a toll on Sylvie's joy. Matt was in training and clonked out the second his head hit the pillow every night, waking up to texts from Sylvie before she went to work. In Chicago, Violet had to tell Sylvie to calm down and that the plate she slammed down onto the table wasn't the reason Matt was in Oregon. Blake Gallo was the only other person who understood Sylvie's pain and poor Violet had to deal with them both.
Actually Violet and Gallo's mixed feelings was one of the only things keeping Sylvie from going insane. It provided very fun humor on the bad days, watching them run around in circles and not admit what they felt. Sylvie couldn't help but see a little bit of her and Matt in both of them, and it was nice to think that their legacy had lived on. Love was weird and it made Sylvie so many different things. Yet it was always there at the end of every dark and twisty turn, waiting for her like one of Matt's comforting hugs.
Sylvie missed a lot of things about Matt. Besides him just being around for her to smile at whenever they crossed paths, she also missed when he brushed the hair out of her eyes and told her she was his everything. Even his reassuring glances on a tough call or the new habit he picked up right before he left; smacking her ass lightly whenever she walked away. Severide did it with Stella a few times, which rubbed off on Matt. Sylvie enjoyed the thrill of running away before his hand made contact, which was always gentle. Matt could never hurt another human being and that was something else Sylvie loved about him.
Soon enough she would see him. In less than twenty-four hours, his arms would be wrapped around her when he picked her up from the airport, and she would hear his heart beating and know she was home. Her apartment was lonely without him invading it on off days. Luckily Stella came by often to keep her company, and they sometimes met up with detectives Kim Burgess and Hailey Upton at Molly's when they could. The four women were easily becoming close friends, which Sylvie was thankful for. She needed good people in her life.
Shift was almost over, so Sylvie stopped daydreaming and went to make sure the ambulance was stocked for the next day. Boden had given Sylvie a whole week off to visit Matt because of the time she had put in with the paramedicine program lately. It was going strong and she and Mouch were nervous but excited to continue to push the idea to the public.
Gallo came out to the barn just then, and waved when he saw Sylvie. "You're heading to the airport tomorrow, aren't you?" He asked, a smile on his face.
"Just gotta go finish packing, go to bed and then I'm off to Oregon for a week," Sylvie confirmed.
"Tell him I say hi. If you get a chance, Facetime me from your tours." Without thinking about it, he quickly pulled Sylvie into a hug. She was a bit surprised, but hugged him back because he clearly was happy for her to finally be seeing Matt.
"I will for sure." She patted him on the back and then stepped away. "While I'm gone, you keep an eye on Violet okay? Not that she needs looking after, but I haven't missed a day of shift since we started together. I don't want her to like the fill-in better than me." The thought was totally unprovoked; Sylvie really just wanted a reason for Gallo to be keeping an eye out on Violet. Maybe if she noticed she would think that he liked her. Because as much as Gallo wanted to deny it, he really did like her and Sylvie could tell. Also Ritter dished her the gossip whenever she acted sad about Matt leaving. The guilt trick was working quite well.
"Want me to come over and help you pack?" Stella asked, grabbing her bag out of her locker at the end of shift.
Sylvie pulled on her jacket and shook her head. "I think I'm okay. Thanks Stella."
"No problem. I'll just be at home with Kelly so give me a shout if you need anything. Although maybe not after ten because at that point we'll be locked in the bedroom and-"
"Will do," Sylvie smiled as she cut Stella off. She loved her best friend but she didn't need to hear about Stella's sex life with her fiancé. Back when Matt was still in town, Sylvie would sometimes stay over at the loft and hear the two of them in the middle of the night when she was trying to sleep. Not the most pleasant thing, but it made for a good laugh in the morning.
Back at her place, Sylvie poured a glass of rosé and sipped it slowly as she packed for Oregon. She made sure to add her Portland book so that she and Matt could go sightseeing. He had been so busy with work and training that he hadn't gotten a chance to go out and explore yet. Matt told her he was saving it for her, which Sylvie appreciated. She was excited to look around at the city her boyfriend was living in. Maybe they'd find good places to eat at, or take cute pictures that she could frame when she got back.
At eight p-m Sylvie clocked out. Stella didn't need to worry about her calling after ten after all. The alarm was set for five-thirty in the morning, which would give Sylvie plenty of time for possible traffic jams on her way to the airport. She wanted nothing to crew up her trip, and if she had anything to say about it, nothing would. Things were going to go just fine and in less than twelve hours, she and Matt would be reunited.
The airport was quiet on Chicago's end the next day. Well at least quiet for a Thursday morning. Sylvie made it through security without an issue and then grabbed a coffee and a sandwich to munch on while she waited for her flight. So far the trip was going well although Sylvie was anxious to get it over with. Normally she liked flying but all she wanted to do right now was see her boyfriend. A plane ride kept her separated which she did not approve of.
On the plane, Sylvie tried to settle into a movie she had been wanting to see. She drank the orange juice the flight attendant brought her, and slipped the peanuts into her purse as a snack for later. Every few minutes she checked her watch and was disappointed to discover that there were still hours left to go until they landed. Yet it would be a while until she was wrapped in Matt's arms and it made Sylvie even more upset. It was hard to find time to miss Matt while on shift, but now that she was on her way to him, it was easy to think about him. And boy, did Sylvie think about him.
Matt Casey filled her thoughts for the remainder of the flight. When they finally landed, Sylvie's foot was moving erratically as the plane rolled to the gate. Five more minutes of waiting. Finally, the seatbelt sign turned off and Sylvie practically leaped from her seat to reach into the overhead for her suitcase. Shouldering her backpack, she waited restlessly for the people in front of her to get off the plane. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, but Sylvie was way too energized to check. If it was Matt, he'd see her soon enough. If it was anyone else, they'd survive her not replying for a few hours.
A couple with three young kids was holding up the line in front of her. Sylvie almost wanted to tell them to hurry up, then thought against it. She wouldn't let her impatience get the best of her. But she desperately wanted to because every second more she waited, was a second more away from Matt. Although it only took an extra moment, then the line was up and moving again.
Because Sylvie only packed a carry-on bag, she skipped the baggage claim and headed straight to the exit. The automatic doors parted to reveal a semi-busy arrivals lounge, with people watching as she searched for the only face she cared about. Her heart pounded as she glanced around without any sign of the love of her life.
Determined not to give up that easy, Sylvie walked briskly through all the waiting people, head turning constantly to see if the people around her were Matt. No luck. About to give up, Sylvie remembered that her phone had buzzed and she didn't bother to look at it. Now she turned it on and saw that Matt had just parked only five minutes ago and that he had to walk across the airport to the arrivals lounge. She sighed with relief, knowing that he was here and coming and not stranded somewhere and unable to get her.
Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her from behind. Sylvie almost let out a yell, then a familiar voice said in her ear, "Welcome to Oregon."
She would recognize that voice anywhere. "Matt?" Sylvie shouted, turning around and seeing those blue eyes she loved so much.
"Hi," he managed to say, and then Sylvie was jumping into his arms and he stumbled a bit with surprise. Matt recovered quickly, though, and hugged her back as tightly as he could without squishing her.
"I missed you so much," Sylvie cried into his shoulder. She had tears in her eyes but they were happy ones this time.
"I missed you even more," Matt replied. One of his hands moved to cup Sylvie's face as he stared at her. "I can't believe you're really here and it's not one of my dreams or some very convincing video call."
Sylvie let out a laugh. "I'm really here. Trust me, I had to pinch myself when I got on the plane because I couldn't believe that it was working out this time."
"Lucky that we're here together then," said Matt. Then he kissed her. The long awaited moment and Sylvie sighed quietly as his lips brushed hers fiercely. There was nothing but love between them, with Matt's arms around her torso and hers clasped behind his neck.
The stayed like that for a few minutes, then realized they were making a scene. Sylvie broke the kiss first, and tried not to blush as she picked up her backpack. Matt on the other hand didn't really care. He took the handle of the suitcase in one hand, his girlfriend's hand in the other. They made their way to the carpark and loaded the station wagon, not letting go of each other's hands the whole time. Matt drove one handed and kissed Sylvie's fingers at every red light. She giggled and just basked in the fact they were back together in the same place at the same time.
"The boys offered to keep themselves busy after work and school today," Matt said, as they pulled into the driveway.
"Oh?" Sylvie raised an eyebrow. "That's nice of them."
"Very. I may have enticed the idea with twenty dollars for the mall and the promise they could meet you at dinner," Matt admitted with a wink. Sylvie shook her head but she was smiling. A completely free afternoon was enough for her, plus she was excited to meet Griffin and Ben in person too.
Ducking to get a look at the rest of the house from in the car, Sylvie said, "You want to go inside? I'm sure we can explore later; I brought my Portland book even though Ritter made fun of me for it."
Matt smiled at her. "Okay. And I like your Portland book." Kissing her briefly, he let go of her hand so that they could get out of the car. Matt went around back to grab Sylvie's suitcase. He met her at the front door and unlocked it easily.
As soon as the door was shut again, Sylvie pressed her lips to Matt's and wrapped her legs around his waist. He pushed her against the wall gently, for some support. This was very overdue and frankly, Sylvie was surprised she managed to wait as long as she did. But she did because she cared about him and she was willing to do whatever it took to keep them together. So what if he lived across the country? The visits and the way he was making her feel right now made it almost worth it.
They were worth it. They were worth so much because they had to fight to make their relationship work. They had been through so much individually but also together, that no matter what, they made it out stronger. Because Sylvie loved Matt and Matt loved her back and that was it. They were going to be just fine. 3 weeks was nothing compared to 3 years. They had survived the sprint, now it was time for the marathon.
gonna tell you right now, i have absolutely no idea what i'm going to be doing with this fic in terms of it being a multi-chap. i mainly made it multi because i wanted 1 place to put all my "sylvie and matt missing each other" fics. although i have a couple chapter ideas in the works. there is no set schedule or anything for this btw, just whenever i am in my 'missing brettsey hours' and find inspiration to write.
find me on tumblr at thedefinitionofendgame.
thanks for reading!