AN: So, I know Shay arrived to 51 after Dawson, but for the sake of this story, she will have been there first. This story title is based on the song "Love You Out Loud" by Rascal Flatts.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago Fire or the One Chicago franchise.
Love You Out Loud - Chapter 1
Matt Casey and Kelly Severide did not look like your typical couple. The two firefighters were Lieutenants with the Chicago Fire Department and stationed at Firehouse 51. When at 51, they were Casey and Severide. Casey the Lieutenant of Truck 81, Severide the Lieutenant of Squad 3. Everywhere else in Chicago, they were simply Matt and Kelly.
The men met on their first day of the Academy, having been placed in the same class. Matt caught Kelly's eye immediately. The young, athletic blonde was wide-eyed and eager to prove himself. And Kelly caught Matt's eye the same. The young, blue-eyed man oozed confidence-and cockiness-that drew Matt in.
It was Kelly's childhood friend Andy Darden that brought the two together. Andy saw the way Kelly looked at Matt. He was the only one who knew that Kelly preferred men over women, and had since high school.
His sexuality was not something Kelly advertised. He was who he was, and he had no shame in that. Matt was the opposite. He knew he was bisexual from a young age. And he also knew it would never be accepted in his childhood home. It was not until his mother went to jail for killing his father, when he moved in with his best friend, that he could be himself.
It only took Kelly two weeks to discover that he wanted to spend his life with Matt Casey. It took Matt the same amount of time.
They had been together for 2 years when they were transferred to Firehouse 51. They did not come out to the house right away, but instead let the house make their own assumptions. It became clear very quickly that Matt was Kelly's and that Kelly was Matt's. And that is just the way it was.
And it was always fun watching new house members try to figure it out. Much like today.
Gabriela Dawson was the new Paramedic-In-Charge at Firehouse 51, and was anxious for her first shift. She had heard how close the members of her new watch were, and she wanted to make a good impression.
As she walked up to the Firehouse, she saw a group of men sitting around the table on the side of the floor. What caught her eye was the blonde sitting at the end of the table, next to another man in a chair.
"Can I help you?" a voice asked, pulling her out of her daze.
She looked to her left and saw a blonde peeking around the driver side door of the ambulance.
"Um, yeah. Hi. I'm Gabby Dawson. I'm the new PIC." she said, reaching out her hand for the woman.
"Oh, right! Nice to meet you. I'm Leslie Shay, but you can just call me Shay. I'm the other medic." Shay said enthusiastically, shaking Gabby's hand.
"Nice to meet you." Gabby responded, happy that she would be riding with another woman.
"Well, come on. Let me show you around." Shay said, leading Gabby across the apparatus floor.
"Obviously, these are the rigs. Truck, Engine, and Squad. And over here, we have the Squad table," Shay said, leading Gabby over to the table she noticed earlier. "VERY important note, you do not sit at this table unless you are on Squad."
As they approached the table, the men quieted down.
"Hey Shay,who's the new face?" the blonde asked, turning away from the man sitting next to
him.
"Hey Casey, this is Gabriela Dawson, our new PIC. Gabriela, this is Lieutenant Casey." Shay replied, noticing how Gabby became suddenly shy when she came across Casey.
"Oh, great! It's nice to meet you Gabriela." Casey responded, extending his hand. It seemed that Kelly caught the look in Dawson's eye as well, because he stood up as Casey introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant Casey. And please, everyone, call me Gabby." Dawson replied, shaking Casey's hand and shooting him a smile. Kelly noticed that and knew 'Gabby' was going to be trouble.
"Nice to meet you too," she replied.
"And this is Lieutenant Severide," Shay said, pointing to the man behind Casey.
"Wow, two Lieutenants on one Squad, impressive. Nice to meet you Lieutenant Severide." Gabby said, shaking the second Lieutenant's hand.
"Nice to meet you too, Gabby. And, actually there is only one of us on Squad. Casey here is the Lieutenant on Truck," Kelly replied, grasping Casey's shoulder to subtly stake his claim.
The rest Squad 3 looked on quietly. It was not uncommon for a woman to flirt with Casey or Severide, assuming they were available.
Dawson was one of those women, and it looked like she had her sights set on Casey.
Things were definitely going to be interesting. And the rest of 51 could not wait to see what was going to happen.