I know I've apologized for this before, but I'm sorry for the wait! I really did want to get this chapter up quicker but exams were crazy and I only got the time to sit down and write this recently. This is the last chapter of this story and I'm sad to see it go! I had a lot of fun exploring Casey and Severide's relationship.

I just want to thank everyone for the likes and the reviews. They really mean a lot to me! I can't help but smile every time I get a notification for one. I'm glad you guys liked the story and I hope that this ending is somewhat satisfying for you all.

Happy. That was the one word that described Severide best in that very moment.

He had just pulled into his parking spot and was sitting in his car, taking a moment to appreciate the way his life had gone over the last seven months.

Casey, after two whole weeks of his hyperbaric oxygen therapy, had finally reached a point where one final dose of antibiotics had cleared away his infection for good. It had been a celebratory moment for both of them, filled with lots of hugs and tears, but it was also a moment to face the truth.

With all the treatment, Doctor Burke had to do some final testing to see how much damage Casey's muscles, ligaments, and tissue had suffered and what that would mean for his future as a firefighter. Both he and Casey had held their breath as he conducted the tests, did a final ultrasound and measured how much movement Casey had.

With his heart in his throat, Severide had waited as the Doctor went over all of the results. Finally, he had looked up and given them a soft smile. The words he had said were still ingrained in Severide's mind. Your shoulder looks good, Matthew. With physical therapy, I think there's a great possibility of making a full recovery.

Casey had been ecstatic, something that fuelled him through his tough months of physical therapy. There had been rough nights. Ones where Severide held Casey tight as he sobbed in his arms. Nights where he couldn't see the end where he was a firefighter again. Slowly, these faded and they were left with only hope. Casey improved each day. And by May his arm was almost at full motion again.

A month later, just a week ago, Casey was tested to see if he could return to work. Severide had waited anxiously outside the room in the hospital, where he found himself pacing as he once again awaited news of Casey. While he believed that he was ready, Severide also knew he had to be prepared in case Casey wasn't given the green light.

He jumped as a door opened behind him, and a sullen Casey walked out.

"Case…" he had begun, heart dropping as he read the unspoken words on his boyfriend's face.

But Casey's downcast expression quickly morphed into a huge grin.

"I passed," he said simply, tears forming in his eyes.

Severide smiled as he remembered how he had crushed Casey into a hug, kissing him fiercely at the news. He hadn't cared who had seen them. All he saw was Casey, the love of his life, and the news that they would be returning to 51 after their seven months away.

Severide had been happy then. Happier than he had ever felt before. But sitting here, in his car that was slowly growing too hot in the mid-June sun, he knew he had reached happiness that he had never before.

He had just returned from the jeweller, a small black box in tow. Inside was a delicate silver ring, etched with tiny flames around its circumference. It wasn't flashy or bold, but soft and meaningful. It was Casey. And he was going to give it to him soon.

Severide hadn't yet picked out a date to propose, but with every new day, his desire to make his boyfriend his husband grew fonder. He loved Casey with all of his heart and after everything Casey had gone through, after what they had gone through, he knew that they both deserved to be happy.

He hadn't specifically told anyone at 51 that they were together, as he had practically stepped off the grid to take care of Casey, but with the conversations he had been having with Boden over the months, he knew that they all knew they were together. Of course, Boden had officially found out at the beginning, but after Severide had left on a leave of absence with no date to return, the blanks had been filled in and the rest of 51's suspicions of them had been confirmed.

Stepping out of the car, Severide stashed the ring in his glove box compartment, locking it in there so Casey wouldn't stumble upon it by accident, and made his way up to his apartment.

Opening the door, he smiled as he saw Casey in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"Hey, Sev. I was afraid you got lost. What took you so long?" Casey asked as Severide shoved off his boots and walked over to the island in the kitchen.

Severide smiled, knowing the real reason, but gave a suitable cover for why he had taken longer than he said.

"I got the paperwork from Boden like I was supposed to, but you know what he's like. He invited me in and suddenly we were filling each other in on the last seven months of our lives."

Casey smirked. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Chief always finds a way to turn a short conversation into an hour-long commitment. How's he doing?"

Severide sat on a bar stool nearby, snagging a piece of pepper Casey had just chopped and ignoring the look Casey had shot him.

"He's doing good. Said 51 was looking forward to getting their Captain and Lieutenant back. Apparently, our replacements have been driving them crazy."

Casey laughed, moving to cut some mushrooms for the sauce he had simmering on the stove. "Driving everyone crazy or driving Herrmann crazy?"

"You know Herrmann, that man has never been willing to accept change," Severide replied, chuckling as he thought of all the times Herrmann had protested things over the years.

They sat in peaceful silence for a moment before Severide spoke again.

"What about you? Are you ready to get back to work tomorrow?"

Casey paused his chopping and set his gaze on Severide's face. There was no anxiety or apprehension in his features. Just a calm determination that told Severide all he needed to know.

"I am. While I enjoyed spending all this time with you, even under the circumstances, I've felt like a part of me is missing. Like an itch that you can't scratch. I can see it in you too. The way you're restless in the night and turn at any sound of a fire engine passing by."

Severide fell back in his chair at the confession. He hadn't realized he had seemed so desperate to go back to work. The panic he felt must have shown on his face as Casey smiled, showing only love and compassion in his eyes.

"Sev, I'm not mad. I know how much you miss being a firefighter. I can never repay you for how much you've taken care of me. Loved me through these last seven months. But I'm glad that I can at least give us back the part of us that we're missing. We were born to be firefighters and I can't wait to run into a burning building with you again. However crazy that might sound."

Severide felt a flurry of emotions stir within him. The love that he had been feeling early for the man in front of him was multiplying by tenfold.

He stood up so quickly that the chair crashed to the floor, but he ignored this as he made his way over to Casey.

As soon as he was in arms reach, he grabbed his waist and pulled him flush against his body, smashing their lips together. Casey, momentarily stunned, melted into the embrace and kissed him back, hard and sweet. Everything they had gone through, the emotions they had felt, the triumphs they had faced, was filtering between them like electricity as they kissed. They were connected, bonded, and nothing would change that.

They broke apart, gasping for breath. Severide placed his hand on Casey's face and traced his thumb over his swollen bottom lip.

"There is nothing I would have rather done," he breathed, inhaling Casey's scent. "I would follow you anywhere and stick by your side no matter what. We may have been born to fight fires, but without you, there is no spark in my life. You will always be first in my heart, Matthew Casey."

Casey grinned, pulling Severide in for another kiss that left Severide needing more when he pulled away. "Rehearse that in the shower, Sev?"

Severide grabbed Casey's hand, kissing the back of it gently as he replied. "Maybe. Did it work?"

Casey reached over and turned the stove off before he pushed Severide against the wall, kissing his neck. "What do you think?" he murmured, continuing to kiss Severide's neck, slowly inching his way to his jawline.

Severide didn't respond. Instead, he pushed Casey back, tangling them into a clumsy dance that ended in their bedroom, both of them falling on the bed. In a blur, both of them ripped off their shirts, continuing to kiss the whole time. There was nothing else in the world at that moment. All Severide needed was the feel of Casey's body against his own. Everything else could wait.

Walking into the doors of 51, Severide's senses were overwhelmed with the wall of noise that met both him and Casey. Everyone from 51 was waiting for them, a huge banner above them reading Welcome back Captain Casey and Lieutenant Severide.

As the noise died down, Severide and Casey were rushed into a mass of bodies. Hugs, handshakes, and greetings were all he could make out until a voice, loud and authoritative above the rest rang out.

"All right everyone, let's give them some space. We don't need anyone else getting injured."

Chief Boden stood at the back of the room, a smile on his face.

The crew of 51 backed off, giving Casey and himself much-needed room to breathe and take everything in.

"It's damn good to have you two back," a new voice said. Turning, Severide saw that it was Herrmann who had spoken. "51 hasn't been the same without you."

"Thank you, Herrmann," Casey replied, moving to stand next to Boden so that he could address the room.

"I just wanted to say thank you to all of you. I know that Severide and I have been distant lately, and I apologize for that, but we took the time of my recovery to spend time with one another. I think that, after these seven months, we've come out stronger and more willing to work than before. We missed all of you and we're super happy to be back. Life isn't the same without 51."

Everyone was smiling and Severide even saw Brett wipe away a few tears. Yes, it was good to be back. This was their family, their life, and the part of them that Casey had said felt like it was missing, was finally complete.

After another round of hugs, he and Casey went to put their things in their locker. They had only just shut their locker doors when the alarm went off, signalling a call.

Ambulance 61, Truck 81, Squad 5, Person trapped.

Both he and Casey moved in sync, adrenalin pumping as they raced to the apparatus floor. Not only was it their first shift in seven months, but each call also brought with it an air of mystery. There was no such thing as a straightforward call and they always had to expect things to go wrong.

Getting their gear on in record time, Severide looked up to catch one last glance of Casey as he climbed into the front seat of his truck before he followed suit, jumping into his seat in Squad 5.

And, man, did it feel good to be back.

...….

As soon as they got to the call, Severide realized that they needed to act quickly. They were standing outside a 10 story hotel and on the 7th floor, hanging upside down in his thin harness was a window washer, stranded after his lift broke and was now dangling uselessly next to him.

Even from this far down, Severide could tell that the guy's harness was old and was beginning to fray, causing the man to yell in terror every time he slipped further down as the rope gave out.

As both squad and truck surveyed the scene, they knew they needed to act fast.

"We could position the truck and get the aerial up there," Mouch suggested, already moving to his position at its base.

Severide was about to object, offering the plan already forming in his mind, but Casey beat him to it.

"No, the truck will take too much time. Severide and I can get up there in two minutes and start repelling in three," he stated firmly, quickly meeting Sevrride's gaze.

Severide nodded, fully agreeing with Casey's plan and ran to grab his gear from the truck.

"Cruz, Capp, you're with me. Grab your gear and get to the roof. Start setting up the anchor points. Casey and I will join you right after and repel down to the guy. Secure a line for him and then haul him back up."

"Got it," they replied in unison, moving quickly to get what they needed. Severide heard Casey barking orders to his crew too, telling them to set up the mats in case the guy fell before they could reach him.

Together, they ran into the building and hopped in the service elevator taking them to the top where they could access the roof.

"Well, it's no burning building, but It'll do," Severide joked as they rode to the top, causing Casey to laugh.

The elevator dinged and they both sobered, putting themselves into work mode.

As they climbed the short ladder to the roof, Severide spotted Cruz and Capp finalizing their anchor points. Casey took the far right, so Severide settled on the left. In record time, they had buckled themselves into their harnesses and stepped onto the ledge of the building.

"You ready?" Severide asked firmly, making sure Casey was in position.

"Ready," he replied.

In sync, they both pushed off and started slowly making their way down the building's face. Severide, having done this more often, reached the flailing guy first.

"Hey! I need you to calm down. We're going to get you back up to the roof."

The guy didn't seem to hear him, continuing to flail around and stretching the rope of his harness closer to its breaking point.

Suddenly Casey was next to him, gently grabbing the man's shoulder as he attempted to do what Severide couldn't.

"Hey, my name is Matt and I'm here to help. The guy next to you is Kelly. We're going to get you out of here, but I need you to calm down for us okay? Are you able to do that for us?"

The man stopped moving and shakily looked up at Casey. "Y-yeah. I think so."

"Great. Now just give us one minute and we'll have you back on solid ground, okay?"

The man nodded shakily but continued to stay still. Severide called for the rope to haul the man up and Casey moved so that he was below the man, in position in case the guy fell.

As soon as the rope came close enough, Severide grabbed it and wrapped it around the man's busted harness before anchoring it at the back. Pulling on it to make sure that it was snug, he gave the line two big tugs.

"All clear! You can pull him up, guys!"

Slowly, both Cruz and Capp pulled the guy up the building's front and finally over the edge of the top where he disappeared from view.

"Well done Severide and Casey. Now get yourselves back up there," Boden's voice crackled through their radios.

Severide pressed the button to reply. "Thanks, Chief. Casey and I are just going to secure the platform he was on to make sure that it won't fall if the other side breaks and we'll be right up."

"Copy that."

Severide turned to Casey and grinned. "Nice job calming that guy down. One more minute of moving and he could have dropped."

Casey grinned back and shrugged. "What can I say? The men like it when I speak."

Severide shot him a look and playfully bumped him with his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this thing secured and back on the roof, okay?"

Casey smirked but moved over to the sideways platform. Calling for the rope again, it was lowered to them and they began working it through the loops where the broken cord was attached before.

As they worked silently, gently swaying next to one another, Severide couldn't help but glance at Casey ever so often. So intently focused on his work, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration in the way that Severide loved, he felt something click inside of him.

They were back doing what they loved. Working to help save people together. Their life wasn't going to get more perfect than this.

They finished securing the rope and tugged on it again, letting the two firefighters above know that they could get the platform back to the roof. As it moved up, Severode found himself inching closer to Casey, letting his harness take his weight as his eyes never left Casey's face.

"Guess we should go up too before-" Casey started to say, but froze as he met Severide's gaze.

He looked alarmed now, concern lining his face as he searched Severide's face for answers. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Severide felt his heart begin to hammer as sweat laced his palms. Suddenly nervous, he had to lick his lips before he could form words again.

"Casey-Matt," he corrected himself, taking Casey's hands in his own.

Casey looked worried now; Severide didn't often use his first name. Opting to call him Casey or my love, but what he was about to say next warranted it.

"I have loved you since the first day we met. I saw you for the first time at the Fire Academy. You were one of the fastest times for the smoke simulation and ever since then, you have never left my mind. These past years working with you have been the best years of my life. From being lieutenants to watching you become Captain, you have never ceased to amaze me. You have made me a better man and for that I am grateful. You complete me, Matt, in a way I never thought possible. If the past seven months have taught me anything, it's that I want you to be in my life for the rest of our days. I want to continue fighting fires by your side until we're old and wrinkly and ready to settle down. I love you, Matthew Casey, will all of my heart. You are the spark that lights my fire when things grow dark. So, will you do me the honour of becoming my husband?"

Throughout the speech, Casey had gone from worried, to shocked, to a loving understanding of what was happening. Tears had begun forming in his eyes as Severide talked, taking in every word that was being said.

There was only a moment of stunned silence before Casey's face broke into the biggest grin Severide had ever seen.

"Yes, Kelly Severide. I will become your husband."

Severide, overcome with emotions, grabbed Casey's face and kissed him, blocking out the world below.

For a moment, they forgot where they were, dangling 60 feet in the air with the firefighters of 51 watching their every move. It was only Kidd's stunned voice coming through the speakers that broke them apart and brought them back to reality.

"If I'm not mistaken, that looked awfully a lot like a proposal."

Severide unconsciously rubbed a hand across his face, realizing that he had just stopped mid-job to propose to Casey in front of everyone.

He paused for a moment, sharing a look with a blushing Casey before he responded.

"I may have just asked Casey to marry me…"

Severide didn't need the radio to hear the noise that everyone down below made. The truck engine honked a few times as their friends celebrated the proposal.

Seeing Casey's smile at the reaction from 51, Severide knew that he had made the right decision. There was no time to waste. He and Casey were meant to be together and he didn't want to wait a single moment more. His future with Casey by his side had never looked so bright.

THE END! On to the next story! Which I'm not sure what I'll write next. Anyone have any requests? I can't guarantee that I'll write them, but I'll try my best!