As promised, fireman!Eriol.
xxx
056. Smoke
Tomoyo coughed as smoke started to pour in under her door. She cursed inwardly. Of all the days her cat, Suppi, could decide to crawl out the window and perch himself on the ledge, it had to be today.
"Suppi..." She cooed at her cat as she stuck her head out the window, "We got to get out of this place. There's a fire and Mummy really doesn't want to die." She stretched out her hand, "So be a dear and come in will you?"
Suppi merely looked unimpressed and yawned in response.
"Suppi!" Tomoyo tried again, deciding to go with angry stern parent this time, "You get back in here this instant. If you don't, we are both going to die!"
Suppi was probably in the rebel teen years of his life because he just trotted further out of reach.
Tomoyo was quite ready to tear out her hair at this point, she shot a frantic look at her apartment door and noticing the smoke billowing from under it, she thought it wouldn't be too long before she needed to crawl out the window herself.
"Suppi..." Tomoyo coaxed again, "I'm not leaving without you, please get back in here? Then we can get out of this burning building!" She was almost halfway out of the window at this point, one hand braced on the window sill, the other reaching out towards her cat.
Just a little more, her fingers were nearly brushing Suppi's coat now. She pushed herself a little further out the window. There was some sort of noise coming from the corridor and she thought maybe she heard some knocking on her door, but she was so close to Suppi, she really couldn't be bothered with anything at the moment. Tomoyo lunged herself just a little further out the window and felt her fingers curl around the scruff of Suppi's neck. Before she could breathe out a finally, she felt strong arms encircle her waist and jerk her back into her (now smoke filled) apartment.
"Kami, Miss. Escaping out the window is not exactly the best thing to do right now considering you're twelve floors up." A voice said from behind her.
Tomoyo quickly whirled around, Suppi clutched protectively to her chest, and came face to face with a fireman. A very dishevelled, but very handsome fireman.
"Er, hello." Tomoyo offered, reaching out her hand.
The fireman looked bemused and eyed her outstretched hand, he raised an eyebrow. "Now isn't exactly the time for introductions Miss. I need to get you out of here."
He started steering her towards her apartment door and out into the corridor. Tomoyo coughed and gasped once she realised the entire corridor was so thick with smoke she could hardly see three feet in front of her.
The fireman had taken her hand and was leading her towards the fire escape and she suddenly felt really guilty that he had to save her. She was sure her other neighbours had evacuated the building once the fire alarm rang, like the law abiding citizens they were.
"I was just trying to save my cat." Tomoyo tried to explain, needing to justify why she was still in the burning building and not running out of there screaming her head off like she was sure she was supposed to do.
"What?" The fireman shot back, not seeming to pay her any mind.
"I said," Tomoyo repeated, a little louder this time, "I was trying to save my cat!"
He shot her a look over his shoulder as he pulled her down the staircase.
She tried to keep up with his pace, as they barrelled down the steps, "Suppi had climbed out the window and was sitting on the ledge. I couldn't just leave him there!"
"Okay, Miss. I get it. You were trying to save the cat." The fireman replied, "But can we just concentrate on getting out of here?"
"Oh right," Tomoyo was properly chastised, "That's a good idea."
She didn't say anything else the rest of the way down.
Finally, finally, when they reached the ground floor and walked out of the building, Tomoyo took in a big breath of nice, clean air.
"Er..."
She turned immediately to the fireman next to her and realised that he was looking at their still clasped hands. Apparently, Tomoyo had his in a death grip. Oh dear. She reddened quickly and let go, muttering her apologies. She didn't even dare look him in the eye.
"Thank you for that. And I'm so sorry." Tomoyo sighed inwardly, she was sure she looked really stupid. Not that it matters, since she probably wouldn't even see the fireman again. But still, she really didn't like embarrassing herself in front of good looking gentlemen. Especially if they had just saved her life.
Tomoyo expected the fireman to turn and head back towards the fire truck, or to the ambulance, or even back into the burning building or something, so she was surprised when she heard him chuckle.
"I'm Eriol by the way." He had taken her hand again in a handshake. "Didn't exactly have time to do the introductions up there."
Tomoyo's blush deepened, yea, that hadn't been her brightest moment.
"Nice to meet you Eriol," Tomoyo whispered, daring a glance at her saviour's face, "And thank you for saving Suppi and I."
"You're quite welcome." Eriol replied gallantly. Shooting her a smile (that actually made her knees weak, although Tomoyo thought it could also be possibly due to her own harrowing escape just a little while ago), he turned towards the fire truck, and assisted the rest of the firefighters clear up. It seemed the blaze had come under control.
Tomoyo watched him go, a little wistfully. Stroking Suppi under his chin, she sighed as he purred contently, totally unaware that they had just escaped certain death. She wondered if she might ever see the fireman again.
xxx
And you know when I end it like that, that obviously they would meet again.
