#sick matthew casey

[potato-jem]

so apparently there are no more posts lined up from alex and henry’s instagram accounts 😭😭😭

[angelxsturns]

JEALOU$Y - M.S.

IN WHICH… reader gets jealous seeing matt with someone else.

WARNINGS - smut, fingering, protected p in v (bundle your willy before getting silly!), dumbification if you squint, aggressive ass make out, cursing, pet names (baby, doll, etc.)

you never defined it. he never asked. you never offered. it was just… this thing between you two. a pull. a thread you kept tightening every time you saw each other. no promises, no rules. just heat. lust. and the unspoken understanding that you were each other’s favorite bad decision. but lately, you’ve been feeling it — the itch under your skin. that sick twist in your stomach when you see him with someone else. laughing with her. touching her arm. wearing that smug, slow smile he always wore when he knew someone wanted him. ew.

he was across the room. sitting too close to some girl with bubblegum pink lips and no sense of boundaries. his fingers were grazing the back of her neck. light. casual. intentional.

he looks up.

his eyes meet yours.

he doesn’t break eye contact.

you don’t blink.

he smirks — the smallest twitch of his lips — then went back to whispering in her ear like you weren’t even there. your skin burns.

you walk toward them like you had every right. like you owned the floor under your feet. because you did, at least when he was watching.

you cut between them, placing yourself right in his space. his eyes dropped to your lips, then lower. that flicker of recognition. the way he always looked at you like he could see through the clothes you were wearing.

“didn’t know you were shopping tonight, matthew.”

“didn’t know you were the jealous type, y/n.” his voice was low. lazy. dangerous. that voice that curled around you like smoke.

“i’m not,” you lean in until he could feel your breath on his jaw. “but you know i don’t like when people touch what’s already mine.”

he chuckles — sharp and soft at once — and his hand ghosts over the small of your back, not quite touching.

“you don’t own me, doll.”

you press in closer, chest brushing his. still not touching. your mouth just barely kisses the shell of his ear.

“no?” your lips trail lower, brushing his jaw, the space just below it. your favorite spot. his breath hitches. you smile. “then why do you taste like me?”

he drags you into the shadows like he couldn’t help himself. like every second without his hands on you was unbearable. your back hits the wall. his mouth crushes yours. desperate. possessive. his hands grab your thighs, lifting you like you weighed nothing. your legs wrap around his waist without thinking. you moan against his lips. this was how you fought. with tongues. with hands. with heat. he pulls back, just enough to stare at you. his pupils were blown wide, his hair a mess, his voice rough.

“fuck…”

“say that you want me. that you hate it when i look at anyone else. say it, y/n.”

“i hate it.”

he groans and kisses you harder, hands sliding under your skirt, greedy, rough. fingers brushing where you were already soaked for him. he pushes your panties aside and teases you, slow and cruel, his thumb ghosting against your clit, knowing exactly how to make you come undone.

“fuck- matt-”

“i want you. no one else gets to touch you. no one else makes you like this.”

he slid two fingers inside you without warning, pressing his forehead to yours. you moaned, louder than you meant to.

“god, you’re always so fucking tight for me.”

your nails drag across his neck, tangling into his hair. he groans and lifts you again, rutting into you through his jeans, like he couldn’t stand the barrier between you. you didn’t care about being caught. neither of you ever did.

you didn’t stop once you got to his place. clothes trailed down the hallway like breadcrumbs. he laid you down on the bed, spreading your thighs with his hands, as he began kissing your core, teasing you.

“matt…”

“tell me what you want, baby.”

fuck. you could barely form words. you just needed him. all you managed to get out was a whimper.

“use your words, baby. tell me what you want.”

“i want you, matt. please, i need you.”

“attagirl.”

he spreads your legs further apart, mouth between them like he was starving. his tongue moved slowly. he had one hand holding your hips down, the other wrapped around yours, fingers interlocked like even now, he couldn’t not hold onto you.

“oh my god, matt- fuck.”

he moans against you, sending a vibration of pleasure up your spine. he lets go of your hand and thrusts two fingers into you without warning. your back arches as you grab the sheets, your knuckles turning white.

“m-matt im gonna cum!”

“it’s okay, baby, let go f’me.”

the pace of his fingers quickens, bringing you closer to the edge. his tongue moved quickly as if you were his last meal. your orgasm hits you like a truck, your back arching off the bed as you scream his name. he finger fucks you through your orgasm before pulling his fingers out of you and licking your cum off of them. just as you thought you were done, you see him grab a condom from his nightstand.

“matt i can’t-”

“yes you can. this is what you wanted, isn’t it, baby?”

you stay quiet. this is exactly what you wanted, of course it is. he spreads your legs apart as he rips open the condom with his teeth before sliding it on to his length. he pulls you into a desperate and hungry kiss before moving his hand to his painfully hard dick. he slides it slowly between your folds, teasing you yet again. he loves the way you squirm in desperation under his touch. when he finally slides inside you, he doesn’t give you any time to adjust to his thickness. he starts thrusting in and out of you mercilessly, making tears well in your eyes.

“matt it’s too much-”

“you can take it.”

tears fall down your face, you can’t even form sentences anymore.

“you’re mine. say it.”

all you can do is moan as he thrusts into you even harder.

“say it, baby. you too fucked out to speak?”

you nod your head looking up at him through tears. you sob as he relentlessly moves in and out of you. fuck, he’s good at this. he knows your body better than you do.

“i- gon-”

“it’s okay, i’m right there with you, baby.” he says breathlessly.

you feel your second orgasm slam into you way harder than the first. you scream his name in pleasure, arching off the bed, and gripping the sheets like they’re your lifeline. he fucks you through it yet again. his thrusts start to get sloppy which makes it clear that he’s almost there. he erupts into the condom before slowly pulling out of you, making you wince from the loss of contact. he lays down next to you before kissing you like he needed it. and maybe, in that moment, you did too. you were tangled in sheets. silent. sweaty. breathing each other in like it was the only air you had. he looks over at you, brushing a strand of hair from your face.

“you know this isn’t casual anymore, right?”

you didn’t answer right away, just curled into his chest. you two started with no rules, but jealousy has a way of turning want into need. and need turns into something dangerous.

a/n: okay this is my first time writing smut, lmk how i did 😛

[openheartfanfics]

Newly Added Fics

Jun 15 - 21, 2024  

🎭 Angst  |  🦚 Angsty Fluff  |  🛸 AU  |  ☁ Fluff  |  ♥ NSFW  |  📚 Series  |  📷 Edit  |  📱 TextFic  |  Ⓜ Mature

Bryce X F!MC

Love Me Tender - @peonierose ☁

Bryce and Luna are newly minted parents and weren’t prepared of struggling to put their twins to bed. Will they succeed? [Domestic; Family]

Ethan x F!MC

Culinary Art - @cariantha 📱

Prompt request: Do Ethan and Sawyer prank each other?

Our Little Secret - @jerzwriter ☁👔

Ethan and Kaycee have a little secret... there's a big reason to celebrate Father's Day this year. But when Kaycee's plans go awry, she learns Ethan's were just falling into place. [Domestic; Pregnancy]

Lockdown - @hopelessromantic1352 🎭

How the story progress between Ethan and MC after the Maitotoxin attack. TW: mentions death, poisoning, sickness. [2.11]

Multiple Pairings

Mono~poly - @jerzwriter 📚

[extended: wip] What happens when something that was supposed to be just fun turns into something real? Ethan x MC, Tobias x MC

CH 2: Love on Tap

Open Heart MC

Freshly Squeezed - @jerzwriter ☁🏳‍🌈

Jordyn & Casey are upset that they're staying at a distant Air B&B, while attendings were put up in a posh hotel by the hospital.

Rafael x F!MC

Father's Day - @rafasgirl23415 📸👔

Casey wishes Raf a happy Father’s Day posting some cute pictures of him with their babies.

Ready For The Fight - @rafasgirl23415 📸

Casey puts on a smart display for the lawyer as she & Raf go to discuss getting the paternity suit thrown out.

Rafael x M!MC

Heart to Heart - @silver-rings-and-rabbits 🎭🏳‍🌈

Matthew has a nightmare.

Rejazz - @silver-rings-and-rabbits 🎭🏳‍🌈

Matthew sees Rafael smiling at Sora, and all the pain comes flooding back. [Broke up; With Someone Else]

Something Med School Did Not Cover - @silver-rings-and-rabbits 🎭🏳‍🌈

A retelling of the night of the poison attack. [2.11]

Tobias x F!MC

Father's Day Plans - @jerzwriter 📱📸👔

Father's Day is coming and Tobias's grown daughters are planning a celebration for him along with their Mom. [Domestic; Family]

Part 1

Part 2

_

SUBMIT OPEN HEART FICS & WRITERS HERE

[picked-off-by-barzal]

My Corresponding Top 100 Spotify Wrapped Songs to My Fav's Jersey Numbers Year 4:

• 2 (Mike Reilly*)- I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan featuring Kacey Musgraves

• 3 (Adam Pelech*)- Don't Delete The Kisses by Wolf Alice

• 4 (Braden Schneider)- Lover, You Should Have Come Over by Jeff Buckley

• 6 (Brock Boeser, Ryan Pulock*)- Supercut by Lorde

• 7 (Jordan Eberle, Maxim Tsyplakov*)- Lovers Rock by TV Girl

• 8 (Noah Dobson*, Jacob Trouba)- End of Beginning by Djo

• 9 (J.T. Miller)- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

• 10 (Artemi Panarin, Simon Holmstrom*)- Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers

• 11 (Anthony Duclair*, Travis Konecny, Vladimir Tarasenko)- Guitar Romantic Search Adventure by Wallows

• 13 (Mathew Barzal*, Cole Caufield, Kevin Hayes, Nico Hischier, Alexis Lafrenière)- Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan

• 14 (Bo Horvat*)- Not Strong Enough by boygenius

• 16 (Mitch Marner, Vincent Trocheck)- Think Of Me Once In A While, Take Care by Take Care

• 17 (Matt Martin*)- Need 2 by Pinegrove

• 18 (Pierre Engvall*)- bad idea right? by Olivia Rodrigo

• 19 (Matthew Tkachuk)- Good Days by SZA

• 20 (Hudson Fasching*, Chris Kreider)- American Teenager by Ethel Cain

• 21 (Kyle Palmieri*)- Head Over Heels by Tears For Fears

• 22 (Kevin Fiala)- Calling After Me by Wallows

• 23 (Adam Fox, Matthew Knies)- Now That We Don't Talk by Taylor Swift

• 24 (Kaapo Kakko, Scott Mayfield*)- Time to Pretend by MGMT

• 25 (Dennis Cholowski*)- Honest - From The Amazing Spider-Man 2 by The Neighborhood

• 26 (Jimmy Vesey, Oliver Wahlstrom*)- There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths

• 27 (Tyson Jost, Anders Lee*, Ryan McDonagh)- Casual by Chappell Roan

• 28 (Alexander Romanov*)- Your Needs, My Needs by Noah Kahan

• 29 (Leon Draisaitl, Marc-André Fleury, Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson*)- ARE WE STILL FRIENDS? by Tyler, The Creator

• 30 (Ilya Sorokin*)- Back to the Old House by The Smiths

• 31 (Igor Shesterkin)- Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears For Fears

• 32 (Kyle MacLean*, Jonathan Quick)- Starman by David Bowie

• 34 (Grant Hutton*)- Moon Song by Phoebe Bridgers

• 36 (Isaiah George*, Matz Zuccarello)- Overtime by Zach Bryan

• 37 (Andrei Svechnikov)- Do Not Wait by Wallows

• 40 (Semyon Varlamov*)- East Side of Sorrow by Zach Bryan

• 43 (Quinn Hughes)- Homesick by Noah Kahan

• 44 (Jean-Gabriel Pageau*)- Is It Over Now? by Taylor Swift

• 47 (Liam Foudy*)- Kilby Girl by The Backseat Lovers

• 53 (Casey Cizikas*)- High by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 55 (Ryan Lindgren)- the 1 by Taylor Swift

• 58 (Kris Letang)- Used To Be Friends by Searows

• 59 (Roman Josi)- obsessed by Olivia Rodrigo

• 60 (Joseph Woll)- Northern Attitude by Noah Kahan

• 63 (Brad Marchand)- Night Shift by Lucy Dacus

• 71 (Macklin Celebrini)- Dawns by Zach Bryan featuring Maggie Rogers

• 72 (Anthony Beauvillier, Filip Chytill)- You're Losing Me (From The Vault) by Taylor Swift

• 73 (Matt Rempe)- Bags by Clairo

• 75 (Ryan Reaves)- Quittin' Time by Zach Bryan

• 76 (Brady Skjei)- Angeleyes by ABBA

• 79 (K'Andre Miller)- Work Song by Hozier

• 87 (Sidney Crosby)- You Don't Go To Parties by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 88 (David Pastrňák)- Stargirl Interlude by The Weeknd, Lana Del Rey

• 89 (Pavel Buchnevich)- We'll Never Have Sex by Leith Ross

• 91 (Tyler Seguin, John Tavares)- Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy by Fall Out Boy

• 93 (Mika Zibanejad)- The Adults Are Talking by The Strokes

(*) indicates New York Islanders players, entire current NYI roster has been included

[thematthewscrew]

A/N:With it being the twins actual birthday here's a throwback to the day it was found out one baby was actually two featuring Ryan and Casey☺️

@mcrb2dt-evans @boston-babies

Warnings: medical inaccuracies, mentions of loss, and some grammar mistakes?

We Are Having Two?!

It was a long drive to the OB's office to get the for real confirmation that we were pregnant again. I mean I took four pregnancy tests and all said positive but I still didn't believe it. Colin and I have been trying for a while to get pregnant after our first daughter Lydia was born. Even though the doctors tried to reassure us that we did everything right. We did have one spontaneous positive pregnancy but it didn't end the way we had wanted, so we just kinda stopped trying for a while.

Until it finally happened again and that's what brought us here today.I actually want sure at first but then I started to have some symptoms and so I took some tests. All four said positive. The drive to the appointment was kind of silent. " Are you okay?" Colin asked holding my hand. " Mmmm? Oh yea I'm fine." " No you're not what going on in that brain of yours?" He asked " I'm nervous. What if we get our hope up again?" " That's why we are going today to make sure everything is okay." " What if it happens again?" " It's not." " how can you know?" " Because I have a feeling. " I rolled my eyes playfully " Oh okay." " It's going to be alright really." He said " I hope so. You think Lydia is still okay with Ryan and Casey? " " Oh yea she loves them. You know he is her favorite." He Smirked " Oh how I know. First thing she asked today " We going to see Uncle Ry Ry today?" " I know if we are in the same room you think she would want her daddy but nope it's her uncle Ryan." He pouted. " Aw are you jelly?" I asked " Maybe a little." " You know that little girl adores you." I tell him. " I know." He said.

We pulled up to the OB office and got checked in. After we sat in the waiting room. I got on my phone to see that Casey sent a picture of Lydia sitting in Ryans lap watching Peppa Pig with the caption " She's got him hooked now 😂" I giggled " What are laughing at?" Colin asked " I think our daughter has Ryan wrapped around her little finger." I replied showing him the picture " Oh boy." He said laughing softly " Mrs. Matthews?" I heard a nurse call " That's us." I said. Colin grabbed my hand smiled. We walked into this tiny room, I sat on the tables and Colin sat beside me. " Now you are here because you think you are pregnant?" The nurse asked kindly " Yes. At least that's what the four pregnancy tests say." I smiled " Well most of the time They are never wrong. Any morning sickness, tenderness, food aversions, heart burn?" She asked " I've had nausea and a little bit of heart burn but other than nothing." I replied She asked a few more routine questions and then asked me to change. " Dr. Lane will be with you a few." She smiled " Thank you," we said. " You look cute in that gown sparkles." Colin smirked " Don't laugh at me. This thing is itchy." I whined " I would never laugh at you baby." " Mhm." I said. Then I started bouncing my knee a little. " You're doing your nervous thing." Colin said " What thing?" " Your leg thing." " I'm sorry." " You don't have to be sorry baby. I just wish you would stop worrying." " I can't help it . I think I'll worry until I hear her say everything is fine." I said. Just then there was a Knock on the door. " Hi Matthews family how we doing today?" Dr. Lane asked " okay." We replied " Good good, how's little Lydia?" She asked " Growing up too fast." I replied smiling " Next time you come you will have bring her." She replied " Of course." I replied. " Okay, so we are here because you had some positive pregnancy tests?" " Yes." " Alright then let's take a look and then we will go from there okay?" She said and I just nodded. She put the gel on my belly " Sorry for it being a bit cold." " It's okay." " Alright let's see what we have here." She put the wand on my belly and moved it around it. And then I saw it a little blob " There's your baby." She said smiling. " Oh my gosh." I exclaimed. " Told you not to worry." Colin said smiling. " Looks like you're about 10 weeks." She replied. Then we heard it, the hear beat. " I love that sound." I said teary eyed. " Me too." Colin beamed. Dr. Lane continued to moved the wand around for a minute then her face looking turned perplex. " What's wrong?" Colin asked. " Looks like I'm getting two heart beats here." "Mine and the baby's?" I asked to confirm " Nope yours and your babies," She smiled turning the screen around so we could we " There's two." She smiled pointing to the screen. " Two?!" I exclaimed looking at Colin. " Looks like we need to buy two of everything." He said in shock still. " Twins wow." I said still in shock. "Congratulations!" Dr. Lane exclaimed.

After the appointment we drove to go get Lydia. " Twins." Colin said still not believe " I know." I said Still in shock " Don't multiples run on your side of the family?" He asked " Honestly I'm not sure. If they do I don't know about. I know they do on your side." " True." " So basically there was chance we could have gotten multiples and we did." I said " Lydia is going to be so excited." Colin said " I know. I hope so." " She will." He smiled. We got to Ryan's house and Casey opened the door with Lydia hot on her heels. " Mommy! " she said running up to us. " My baby." I said hugging her. " Careful with Mommy baby." Colin told her. " Were you good?" I asked " She was the best." Casey said as we walked inside. " I've gotta show you my picture with Uncle Ry Ry Daddy." Lydia said dragging him away to the living room " Okay baby." " Ryan's in the living room Colin!" Casey called after him " I kind of figured!" His laughter fading as Lydia was dragging him away. After they were gone Casey turned to me, " Now spill!" " Well," I said getting out my sonogram " We are officially pregnant!" Yay!! I knew it!" " There's something else too." I said slowly turning the pictures around " What?" She asked " Well look at the picture." She looked and then looked again " No way. Shut up!" " Nope thats for real." " You're having twins?!" " Yep." " oh my gosh Im so excited for you guys!" She exclaimed hugging me. " Thank you but I have a favor." " Anything!" " Could you like not tell anyone yet? I'm only 10 weeks and I would like to wait at least 12. " " Wait two more weeks?" " Yes." " Easy. You got it." She said smiling " " Thank you." I smiled then Ryan and Colin walked in. " Did you tell her?" Colin asked hugging me from the side.

" I did. Did you tell him?" " No I wanted us both to tell." Colin replied " Come on guys I know y'all are pregnant that's a no brainer." Ryan said " Yea but there's more Ryan." I said smiling " More?" He asked and then I showed him the pictures " No shit?" He asked shocked " Yep." Colin said " We are having two!" I beamed.

[laurenairay]

Thank you to everyone who participated in my headcanon prompts night! I had a lot of fun with these as always, so I hope you all enjoyed them too! 💛 Requests are now closed, but I’ll definitely do this again before the end of the year!

Matthew Tkachuk – cheering up his gf after a hard day Casey Cizikas – Proposal Sidney Crosby – Date Night Cale Makar – Cale as a Dad Nathan MacKinnon – Nate as a boy dad Roope Hintz – Love Language Nolan Patrick – caring for his SO when they’re sick Erik Johnson – going to the zoo Esa Lindell – slow dancing in the kitchen Freddie Andersen - Freddie as a dad Sidney Crosby - loving husband to pregnant wife Matthew Tkachuk - Matthew as a dad JT Compher - adopting a puppy together Andrei Svechnikov - supporting a partner with autism Nathan MacKinnon - Love Language

[spacesquidfics]

V - Vomiting

“Case? You okay in there?” Severide asks as he knocks on the stall door. They had been joking around while they were eating lunch when Casey had suddenly slapped a hand over his mouth and bolted to the washroom, leaving everyone stunned.

The only answer he gets is a groan followed by more retching. Severide is about to open the stall door from above when Casey stumbles out, pale as a sheet with sweat running down his face and soaking his light gray lieutenants shirt.

“You look like shit,” Kelly blurts before he can stop himself.

“I’m fine,” Casey protests and he wipes his chin with a piece of brown paper towel.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Severide frowns. Casey shoots him a glare but doesn’t say anything as he stumbles out into the main room. All conversation ceases immediately as everyone looks over to see Casey and Severide leaving the washroom. Casey takes two steps before his legs give out and he starts to fall to the ground.

“Woah!” Severide exclaims as he catches the lieutenant against his side. The rest of the firefighters watch in shock until Severide looks over.

“A little help would be great!” He says as he struggles to hold Casey up on his own.

Herrmann rushes over and together the two of them maneuver Casey so they’re both taking half his weight.

“Otis! Door!” Severide orders as he and Herrmann carry the unconscious lieutenant towards his office. Otis runs ahead of them to get the door open and Boden comes into the main room just as Herrmann and Severide are laying Casey down on his bunk.

“What’s going on?” Boden asks.

“Casey’s sick,” Severide informs him as he pulls the covers over his friend.

[sevcasejay1chicago]

Matt Casey x reader

Y/N and Casey are a couple and they have been that for almost a year and they just moved in together.

Y/N works at the firehouse with Brett on ambo.

but this is the first that Y/N are sick since many years back, but she woke up with fever and was feeling terrible. But of course Casey was there to take care of her, he even called Boden to let him know that they are both staying home.

Casey is the perfect boyfriend, he takes care of her now when she is sick and spends some time with her also. He gives her kisses even when she is sick now and he knows he can get sick too.

You Always Come First- Matt Casey

Featuring Kelly Severide and Stella Kidd, mentions of Chief Boden.

Authors note: This is a decently long fic, which I had to stop myself from writing more of since sickfics are kinda my jam. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!

Warnings: fever, vomiting, anxiety, hints to sex and bathing together

~~~~~~~~~~~~

You have been working on Ambos for years as a floater, but finally landed yourself a permanent spot on 61 about three years ago. Working with Sylvie Brett was the easiest transition you have ever made, but she wasn’t even the best part about being on 61. Having your family at 51 was a close second, but Matthew Casey makes your decision worth while.

Now, after having been best friends for two years and dating for about a year, you and Matt have finally settled down in an apartment in the same building as Kelly and Stella. Not that you guys hated always having either Kelly or Stella around when you were at Matt’s or having Sylvie around when you were at yours, but you both did enjoy the privacy. Wink. Wink.

The move to the apartment was relatively easy. Matt’s stuff didn’t even have to be boxed, and the whole fire house helped move your stuff from your apartment a few blocks over. The hardest part for you was the decorating and rearranging. You love interior design and would do it as a side job if you didn’t run the paramedicine program with Sylvie. After thinking life was going back to normal after almost a month of getting settled in at the new place, you got a rude awakening by your body.

One morning, around 5 am, you gasped awake after a nightmare. You immediately knew something was wrong, seeing as you never wake in this manner and you haven’t had a nightmare since you and Matt started dating. Matt woke with you, being jerked into consciousness by your body.

Matt flipped over, turning on the bedside lamp before looking toward you. “Baby. What’s wrong?” Matt asked, putting a hand on your sweat soaked back. You had your face hidden in your hands, which made Matt assumed you were crying as you shook under his palm. “Sweetheart. Hey. You’re sweating. Look at me.” Matt coaxed in a gentle voice, trying to pull you into him.

You shook your head, letting Matt pull you into his lap and immediately hid your face into the crook of his neck. “The light. It hurts.” You whispered, clutching onto Matt’s bare shoulders.

“You’re burning up.” Matt murmured, pulling you firmly into his arms before he slowly stood, walking toward the bathroom with you. Matt left the light off, using the light from the lamp as he sat you down so that he could rummage around for the thermometer.

“I-I don’t. I don’t f-f-feeeel g-good.” You stuttered, shaking harder as the cool granite counters touched your underwear clad butt.

Matt sighed and pulled you closer into his body as he kept looking. “I know baby. Hang on for me.” Matt muttered, trying to concentrate on where the thermometer was stashed. “Tell me what hurts.” Matt cooed, leaving a quick kiss on your forehead.

You wrapped yourself tightly around your boyfriend as you took a proper inventory of your aching body. “Ummm. M-my head. M’ tummy. A-and m-my t-throat.” You sniffed, turning to sneeze into your elbow. “‘M stuffy.” You whined, pouting as Matt turned to look at you.

“Found it. Open up.” He whispered, caressing your cheek as he placed the thermometer under your tongue. “God, even when you’re sick you are still the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on.” Matt whispered, leaning in to kiss your nose.

You scrunched your nose and leaned away, giving Matt a look. He knew that look was a “Are you serious?! You are gonna get sick too!” Look, but you also knew he didn’t care. While you both waited, Matt grabbed a few bottles out of the cabinet and placed them on the counter to see what he was working with.

The thermometer beeped, causing Matt to pull it out before you could even begin to move for it. “102.6.” Matt sighed, clicking his tongue. “No good baby girl. You feeling up to anything to eat so that we can give you some meds?” Matt asked, putting the thermometer into the pocket of his sweatpants before pocketing some meds he thought might help.

“Meh. C-cold n n-nauseous.” You whimpered, leaning into Matt and hiding your face again. You haven’t been sick in years, let alone nauseous with a high fever. You never did do well with throwing up, completely terrified of doing it yourself, but somehow comfortable helping others with it.

Matt nodded and picked you up. “Okay. One thing at a time baby. How about we put some leggings on and we can get you a thin blanket?” Matt suggested. “That way you are covered up, but you aren’t retaining too much heat. Your fever is already pretty high.” Matt reminded, sitting you on the edge of the bed closest to the closet.

You nodded, looking up at your boyfriend with tears in your eyes as your lip quivered. You always got extra emotional when you had a fever, so you weren’t too surprised with the same thing happening to you as an adult.

“Oh baby. Don’t cry.” Matt whispered, pulling you in for a hug and then kissing you firmly on the lips.

“N-no! You, y-you’ll get s-sick!” You wailed, trying to push Matt back, but failing miserably with your weakened state.

“I don’t care. I don’t like seeing you cry baby.” Matt said, reaching up to wipe the tears from your face. “Shhhh. It’s alright. I’ve gotcha. What’s got you so upset?” Matt cooed, trying his best to gently coax the information from you.

You shook your head, looking down as you fiddled with your hands. “F-fever. Emotions a-all-always run h-high wh-when ‘m sick.” You stuttered, looking up to see Matt’s reaction.

Matt just smiled sadly, leaning forward to peck your lips again. “Okay Angel. I understand and that’s okay.” Matt reassured, rubbing your arms. “Let’s just get you as comfortable as you can and then I’ll call Boden to get us alternates.” Matt said, leaving no room for you to argue as he stood and walked to your drawers for your leggings, though you still tried.

“I can t-take care of m-my s-self!” You tried to exclaim through your stutters, though you knew you were not going to convince him otherwise. “T-they n-n-neeed you.”

Matt laughed and shook his head, coming back with your pants in hand. “Like hell I’m leaving you like this. You can’t even stop your chin from quivering since this fever has you shaking so bad. You can’t say a full sentence without it coming out as a stutter right now.” Matt pointed out, kneeling to pull your legging on for you. “I’m call us BOTH out and that’s final.” Matt stated, pulling you up to help pull your leggings completely on before lifting you up again.

“F-fine.” You said, trying to sound indignant and defiant, but it came out as more of a feeble whisper.

Matt chuckled and shook his head. He knew you wanted him there, but you weren’t going to admit to it right now. “How about some apple sauce and Gatorade? Then you can take your meds and we can nap or watch a movie or something. How’s that sound?” Matt asked, sitting you down on the kitchen counter as he moved about to get the supplies without waiting for you to answer.

You hummed your reply, nodding slightly to show your approval. You watched as Matt moved, admiring the way the muscles in his back flexed as he moved around, getting butterflies in your stomach ever time he looked over to check on you, and absolutely adoring the way he made sure to get every single thing you would need, including the puke bucket you learned to keep stashed after one too many accidents from the guys from 51 or intelligence after a night out at Molly’s.

Matt somehow managed to balance all the supplies in his arm and let you latch onto his hip like an infant all at the same time. He carried you and everything else into the living room, tossing the supplies down on the couch before adjusting you onto his front so that he could sit. Once he was settled, he emptied his pockets onto the couch as well, taking his phone out and pressing a few buttons before putting it to his ear. You took the apple sauce packet and opened it as he spoke.

“Good morning Chief.” Matt started. “I know it’s early. I’m so sorry to wake you, but Y/n is extremely sick. We will both be needing alternates.” Matt said, putting a hand to your forehead. “She’s got a raging fever of 102.6, complaining of a headache, stomach ache, sore throat, and stuffy nose. She’s shaking so bad everything is coming out as a stutter when she speaks.” Matt explained, nodding along as he listened to the Chief. “Appreciate it Chief. Thanks a lot. Will do. Be safe.” Matt replied before hanging up. “He understood and sends his best. He knows you never get sick, and we never call out. He’s pretty worried, but he figured he could pull Violet over and put Kidd in the seat for me today.” Matt explained, picking up a pill bottle and reading the label.

You listened and slightly nodded along, having a hard time finishing your apple sauce packet, but determined to finish it anyways. You sipped slowly and watched Matt with half lidded eyes. You trusted him completely to take care of you, especially seeing that you were in no shape to do it yourself right now.

“You doing okay?” Matt asked, placing two pill bottles in between the two of you as he caressed your sides.

You shrugged, putting the finished packet down on the end table. “Meh. Need a m-minute before mm—meds.” You stuttered, closing your eyes and putting your forehead on Matt’s shoulder. The room felt like it was rocking and it was not helping your nausea at all.

Matt sighed, rubbing your back with one hand while lightly holding the back of your neck with the other. “Shhhh. Breathe for me.” Matt muttered, trying his best to calm the nerves he could feel coming off of you.

You did your best to follow along, fighting the anxiety that was building along with your nausea. You felt like you were shaking to your core, completely losing control of your body as the fever kept rising within you. “M-Matt.” You whined, pressing yourself as close to him as you could.

Matt sighed and carefully shifted you closer. “I know baby. I know. I’m right here. I’ve got you.” Matt shushed, rubbing your back and your sides as a desperate attempt to comfort you. He could feel you shaking even harder now, and he was really starting to wonder if he should call 911. “What can I do?” Matt asked, kissing the crown of your head as he grabbed the thermometer and lifted your (his) shirt, placing it under your arm so that you wouldn’t have to sit up.

“I-I d-don’t n-n-know!” You all but wailed, trying to stop yourself from shaking.

The thermometer beeped a minute later, and Matt had to remember to round up a degree to get your temp right. “103.2.” Matt muttered. “Fuck. Okay. Baby, I really need to go get you a cool cloth. Can you please try to drink some Gatorade and take these fever reducers for me? If you go up any higher, I’ll have to call for an ambo.” Matt asked, leaning down to kiss your head again after he spoke.

You nodded, though you doubted you could keep anything else down right now. “I’ll t-try.” You responded, letting Matt shift you back into the couch cushion before taking the small Gatorade he grabbed for you and the pills. Matt moved the trash can a bit closer just incase, before promising he would be right back as he jogged into the half bath off the living room. You slowly drank the Gatorade and then took the pills before laying back and closing your eyes. You took even breaths and tried to focus on not throwing up everything you just put into your body. You could hear Matt muttering to himself as he tried to calm his panicked mind in order to help you. Just as the water turned on, you felt the coolness of the Gatorade in your chest. You quickly sat up, grabbing the trash can and putting it in your lap before you called out, “M-Matt!”

Luckily Matt heard your voice and turned off the tap. “Yeah?” He called, wringing out the wash rag. He listened and heard the faintest heave before liquid splashed into a receptacle. “Oh shit.” Matt muttered, running to the living room. When he got to you, he quickly steadied the trash can before he swept back your flyaways and placed the cool cloth on your neck. ”Alright. It’s okay sweetheart. I’ve gotcha.” Matt cooed, rubbing your back for a second before he realized that you probably just threw up the fever reducers. He was too panicked at this point to think clearly, so he did the only thing he could think of and called Kelly and Stella. Grabbing his phone from the cushion beside you, Matt quickly dialed Kelly knowing that he would have his ringer on.

“Case?” Kelly sleepily greeted, confused as to why his friend was calling him near 6 o’clock in the morning.

“Kel.” Matt breathed, stopping to shush you as you violently heaved again. “I need Stella. Y/N is really sick. Please.” Matt begged his best friend, letting the panic seep into his voice.

Kelly could hear you through the phone and was shaking Stella awake before Matt even finished speaking. “Alright man. You gotta relax for her. We are coming.” Kelly tried to placate his friend as he clued in a grumpy and half asleep Stella that they were leaving the apartment.

Matt didn’t get to answer before Kelly hung up. Instead, he tossed his phone to the side and focused all his attention on you, relived that you guys had thought to exchange spare keys just incase. “Help’s coming sweetheart. Shhhh.” Matt soothed, pleased to find that you were starting to calm down. The gagging was minimal, but your body had managed to reject everything you put in your system plus some in the 5 minutes since you started puking.

You shakily sat back, sobbing loudly as your body shook harder and the anxiety that was creeping up hit in full force. Just as Matt was putting the trash can to the ground and grabbing a few tissues from the box on the coffee table, Kelly and Stella came barging in.

“What’s going on?” Stella asked, running past Kelly to get to you. She did not like the situation she just walked in on. Kelly made his way to the coffee table, sitting down in front of you and slightly pushed Matt to the side so that he could also get a look at you.

“Well, she woke up abruptly at about 5. She’s got a fever of 103.2, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose and obviously nausea. This is the first time she’s puked. Her fever rose from 102.6 to 103.2 in less than an hour.” Matt explained in a panic, leaving it in the air that he was obviously too panicked to know what to do and he needed help.

Stella nodded and grabbed the thermometer to recheck you as Kelly checked your pulse. “Case, go clean that trash can out. Let us figure this out.” Kelly said, feeling how fast your pulse was racing, knowing you were probably also feeding off of Matt’s worry and anxiety.

Matt reluctantly left, leaving a kiss on your forehead before he walked off.

“103.4. That’s to be expected if she was already running hot and just puked.” Stella said, placing the thermometer to the side before checking you over completely. “Sweetie, you gotta calm down for us.” Stella said to you, breathing deeply as a prompt for you to follow along.

Kelly took your hands and met your eyes. “Hey. We gotcha. Nice and deep. Slow down.” Kelly said, leading you through a breathing exercise. “That’s it. Good girl.” Kelly murmured, squeezing your hands.

Matt walked back in, calmly sitting beside you and placing the trash can on the floor once again. “Whatcha thinkin Kidd?” Matt asked, rubbing your back and taking one of your hands from Kelly.

“Well, she’s still sweating, which we know is good. Means she’s hydrated. Maybe a lukewarm bath to cool her down and then try more meds. Obviously she needs fluids to replenish what she is losing. We still have her stash of popsicles in the freezer upstairs.” Stella said, looking to Kelly to confirm, which he did. “If she gets to 104, call an ambo. This temp isn’t great, but it’s still manageable. Just gotta get her calmed down and cooled down some before trying again with the fever reducers maybe.” Stella said, leaning back to look you over once more. “Hey sweetie. You think you wanna try a bath and try cooling down some before some meds? We can also take you to med if you want.” Stella offered, watching your face but knowing your answer already. You hate needles and would give anything not to have to go to the er for yourself.

You shook your head. “N-no Med.” You muttered, scooting closer to Matt as your breathing slightly picked up.

Stella nodded, putting her hands up. “Okay. Okay. It’s alright. That’s why I asked. We aren’t going to force you.”

“Unless it’s necessary.” Kelly corrected, not wanting to give you false hope incase you eventually had to go. You all trusted each other and he knew you would feel betrayed if the situation took a turn for the worst.

“O-okay.” You whispered, nodding your head as you leant back into Matt.

Stella and Kelly nodded and both stood up. They promised to come back with your popsicles later on and told Matt to call again if he needed to before they left.

Matt sighed and kissed your head. “How about a bath? Hmmm?” Matt asked, pulling you into his lap.

“Y-you t-t-too?” You whispered, digging your face into his neck.

Matt smiled and kissed your head. “Of course. Whatever you want. You always come first.” Matt reminded, kissing you on the head.

[starlightsearches]

Little Green Monster

Okay, fuck. I watched The Girl Next Door on Sunday and it was great, Klitz was the sweetest. Tagging @trelaney again for providing me with some excellent recommendations.

Klitz x femme! Reader

Warnings: Language, some sexual references, jealousy, Klitz is clueless

1.8k

Klitz hates that he’s being like this.

He’s always the level-headed one. He needs to be the level-headed one given, well, everything about Eli, and Matthew’s flair for dramatics. So he pretended to be happy for you when you announced that Casey had asked you to prom, even though it felt like his heart had fallen out of his ass. 

He swallowed his pride, let you stand chest to chest with him in different pairs of heels to “compare heights” without his eyes lingering too long on your lips, drove you to the florist to purchase a boutineer and then the seamstress—zipped you into the satin green fabric even though he wanted more than anything to do the opposite.

He’d done so well at pretending . . . but this feels like the last straw.

Casey slides in front of him, leaning against the locker next to yours, apparently unaware that Klitz had been in the middle of a conversation with you. He chews on the words he had planned on saying, letting them turn bitter in his mouth while you smile brightly up at Casey.

He leaves, finally, with a simple “pick you up at seven,” and a wink. Klitz can’t help himself.

“You know he only asked you to prom because he wants to fuck you, right?”

Matthew shoots him a look, and Eli’s eyes go wide. “Dude.”

Your silence is deafening, expression inscrutable as you dab at the lip gloss you’d just applied, checking the effect in your little magnetic mirror on your locker door. The tip of your finger is shiny when you pull it away, and he thinks about taking your wrist in his hands, cleaning it away on his tongue.

You slam your locker shut without warning, and Klitz is knocked from his little daydream, forced to jump back so the door doesn’t take off his nose. You’re still calm as ever, folding your arms over your chest, popping your hip.

“So?”

Oh. Klitz feels like he’s been punched in the gut. It’s that same blinding sensation as all those times he’d been tripped in the hallway or pushed into the lockers by assholes with smiles just like Casey’s. He feels the sting of embarrassment in the back of his throat, a thousand times more painful than any bruise.

Eli takes Matt by the arm, shoving him down the hallway. He spares one glance back at Klitz, and the look on his face says he’s not willing to witness the burial of his friend’s hopes and dreams. “We gotta get to class.”

The bell isn’t going to ring for another few minutes, but they’re already sprinting through the halls. Klitz is starting to wish he could go with them. He’s shit out of luck; you have ceramics together next.

You start walking towards the art hall in the opposite direction of Matt and Eli, and he has to jog to catch up, matching your strides easily with his long legs, ignoring the dirty looks shot in his direction. People still stare when they see you with him, or Matt and Eli. They wonder why you’re wasting your time.

And he wonders that, too. People like you. They say hi to you in the hallways, invite you to parties that you choose not to attend, talk to you in class about more than just the answers to the homework from the night before. It’s not just because you’re pretty either . . . although that must have an impact. He knows what guys say about you in the locker room when they don’t care who’s listening; it kind of makes him sick.

“I just mean—“ God, he doesn’t want to say this. He doesn’t want to know. “Do you like him?”

You shoot him a look out of the corner of your eye, like, don’t be so childish. “What does that matter?”

It matters to him. It matters a lot.

It’s Klitz’s turn to play coy, dragging you to a stop with his heavy silence. Your shoulders drop with a sigh, eyes meeting his. “I’m going with Casey because he’s the one who asked me.”

The conversation ends there; you don’t say another word to him for the rest of class, and your words ping around his head like the graphics of a bad computer screen saver.

What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

“It means she wanted you to ask her, stupid.” 

Klitz shouldn’t have brought it up. Especially not with Eli—already such a fucking know-it-all, and totally drunk on power now that the shoot is finished, ordering his minions around as they erase all traces of their presence from the library. He scratches at the back of his neck beneath the collar of the itchy tuxedo shirt he’d rented, but there’s no chasing away the heat that clings to him. 

“Dude, don’t be an ass.”

It’s not like Klitz hadn’t thought it before. There were times—watching you laugh in the passenger seat of his car, or laying side by side on the floor of your bedroom while he went over the calculus study guide with you—where everything felt perfect. Where he thought, it could always be like this. In those moments, he wondered what could happen if he rested a hand on your thigh and squeezed, or bridged that trivial distance and pressed his mouth to yours. He wondered, if tried hard enough, if he could make you feel it, too.

But that was a fantasy. If you didn’t feel that way about him, there was nothing he could do. 

Eli drops the cord he’d been wrapping in neat loops around his elbows, taking Klitz by the shoulders.

“Dude, you’re one of the smartest people I know and you’re still dumb as fuck.” 

Klitz brushes him off. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” 

“I’m telling you, man, she wants you. But if you’re not going to listen to me, there’s only one way to find out.”

“If you really like this girl, you should go tell her.” 

Klitz turns over his shoulder, cheeks going pink. It’s Ferrari, back in her dress again, with April close behind. He didn’t think they’d been listening. Or at least, he hoped they hadn’t been listening.

“Yeah, you go, honey. We can take care of things here,” April’s joined in now, leaving Klitz feeling a little trapped and more than a little turned on. 

April winks, and his stomach churns. “She’d have to be stupid to say no.” 

“Uh, yeah . . . okay.”

He almost trips over his feet getting to the door, sweaty hands shoved into his pockets as he paces down the empty hallway.

But you’re not at the dance. He can’t find you anywhere—not swaying to some slow song from ten years ago while Casey cops a feel, or sipping spiked punch at one of the back tables. He thinks, without really meaning to, about your lipstick smearing against Casey’s neck, his hands at the zipper in the middle of your back.

Klitz’s glasses go foggy. It’s like he’s drowning, pulling in huge gulps of air that go nowhere, his lungs flayed open under the knife of your rejection.

And it’s all his fault.

He forces his way out the doors, and the night air is a little cooler, taking the heat from his cheeks.

“Klitz?”

He turns to the sound of your voice.

You’re standing at the edge of the parking lot, arms wrapped tight around your torso. Illuminated by the street light, you’re practically glowing, but he doesn’t miss the way your jaw tightens, voice strained and eyes rimmed red, like you’re trying not to cry.

He sniffs. “Oh, hey.” Are you alright? he thinks. Tell me what’s wrong, please. I want to fix it.  “Where’s Casey?”

Damn it. Your eyes go glassy, and you drop his gaze.

“He left with Melanie Billings a half an hour ago. I guess her date ditched her, too.”

Oh. His hands flex at his sides, and he thinks about reaching out to you, resting a hand on your bare shoulder blade. He thinks about your warm skin against his palm, about stroking his thumb over the place where the strap of your dress rests, and then he decides against it. He’s never been very affectionate with his friends.

Then again, he doesn’t really want to be your friend.

There’s a song, just barely audible through the glass doors behind you, quiet enough that he can’t hear the words, just a soft and pleasant melody.

“Do you wanna dance?”

“What?”

He holds out his arms, a surge of bravery coursing through him, “dance with me.”

He didn’t think you’d do it. He thought you’d laugh at him, or pretend to laugh with him, depending on how much pity you were willing to offer, but instead, your arms are wrapping around his neck. His hands meet your waist, and he hopes you don’t feel his fingers shaking through the layers of fabric.

You’re looking up at him with wet eyes, lips shining after you run your tongue between them. “Thanks, Klitz.”

“Yeah,” his voice cracks, eyes falling closed; he can’t look at you if he’s going to say anything else, “no problem.”

The song changes to something more upbeat, the heavy base shaking the glass, but you don’t pull away. You must be stepping closer, because he feels your chest resting against his, letting his hands slide further around your waist.

Okay. So he’s dreaming. He’s going to wake up in a second, wake up sadder than he’s ever felt before, and then he’ll accept that this never happened and shove his glasses on his face. He’ll drive to your house with his shoulders hunched, wait outside your house until you walk out the front door, and he’ll spend the entire drive to school shooting glances in your direction and wondering when the day would come where he wouldn’t be such a fucking loser.

“Klitz?”

Your fingers are stroking through his hair—nails just barely grazing his scalp—and his lungs ache. He can’t remember how to open his eyes. 

“Yeah?” This is a dream. He’s dreaming. But if it’s a dream, why can he feel your breath on his neck?

“Kiss me?”

His eyes fall to yours, and he has to admit, his dreams have never looked this good.

“Yeah, okay.”

He drops his head, bringing his lips closer to yours, but you bridge the final distance, one hand coming to cup his cheek, and he covers it with his own, desperate to keep you there.

Your body is so warm, even through the layers of your dress, through the stupid vest he’s wearing. Your lips are soft and they move against his and he can taste you, your tongue is pressing against his teeth, and oh my god, this isn’t a dream.

A flood of noise pours from the opening doors; in the back of his mind, Klitz recognizes Eli’s voice out of the crowd. “Oh my god, dude. Finally.”

[aramblingjay]

Sevasey & (nick)names

On the job, it’s Severide and Casey. Simple, clean, professional. Detached. It’s been that way since they started out at the academy, and the familiarity is comforting. Every fire they’ve ever survived has been as Severide and Casey.

When Casey becomes Captain, it takes Severide two shifts before he works up the nerve to ask Casey if he wants to be called Captain now. Even if he hates the idea of them being on unequal footing, Casey outranks him, and the rules are clear. But Casey just looks at him like he’s grown a second head when he asks, and that’s that.

Off shift, it’s Matt. Whether that’s at home or at the store or in bed, just Matt. The other contenders are poor, to be fair—only his mother calls him Matthew (and for obvious reasons Severide has no desire to follow in those footsteps), and Casey doesn’t really do pet names. It takes Severide a lot longer than it should to realize that that’s because baby was always Dawson’s endearment for him.

When Severide turns protective, Matt becomes Case. Matt is his partner, but Case is his little brother, and when Casey is sick or hurt or hurting, it comes out like a reflex he can’t control. Casey doesn’t mind when Severide starts to use it more and more, likes the fondness of it, the reminder that he doesn’t have to be the Matt Casey the world sees when he’s with Severide.

Severide is Kel. Casey calls him Kelly fairly often, especially out in public, but when it’s just the two of them, Kelly turns to Kel. Severide won’t say as much unless you get a few beers into him, but he loves it. No one else has ever called him that before, not in all the years and all the women (and men) he’s been with, and he loves that it’s something just for Casey. Something special, and unique, the way Casey is to him.

Sev was Andy’s thing first. Casey stayed away from the nickname for years after Andy’s death, especially when they were at odds, because it felt too much like dishonoring his memory. Casey’s starting to use it more often now, instead of Kelly, and Severide likes what that says about the place they’re in. Every time he hears Sev, it makes him feel like a part of Andy is still there with them, and those wounds have finally healed enough that the nostalgia no longer hurts. Instead, it’s soft, and bright, and maybe even happy.

[ao3feed-chicagofire]

XMAS BINGO; Cozy Up By The Fireplace w/ Matt Casey

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/NxHIduR

by bl00dwyrm

— ❄PAIRINGS: Matt Casey x F!Reader

— ❄FEATURING: Matt Casey, Y/n, [son’s name]

— ❄SYNOPSIS: Y/n comes home to find her husband and their son on the couch

— ❄WARNINGS: fluff, errors I missed, sick, just the common flu.

— ❄w/c:252

— ❄AUTHORS NOTE: please note Xmas requesting is closed. But you can request non-Xmas things for One Chicago.

Words: 255, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 82 of One Chicago

Fandoms: Chicago Fire

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Matthew Casey, Reader

Relationships: Matthew Casey/Original Female Character(s), Matthew Casey/You, Matthew Casey & You

Additional Tags: Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Fluff, Christmas Fluff, Christmas, Fireplaces

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/NxHIduR

[picked-off-by-barzal]

My corresponding Spotify Wrapped songs to my favorite hockey players from my top 100 year 3:

• 2 (Brendan Smith)- august by Taylor Swift

• 4 (Braden Schneider)- El Tango De Roxanne by Original Broadway Cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical

• 6 (Erik Johnson)- my tears ricochet by Taylor Swift

• 7 (Jordan Eberle)- All I Wanted by Paramore

• 8 (Noah Dobson, Jacob Trouba)- ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine

• 10 (Vinni Littieri, Artemi Panarin)- The Archer by Taylor Swift

• 11 (Trevor Zegras)- You Don’t Go To Parties by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 13 (Mat Barzal, Kevin Hayes, Nico Hischier, Alexis Lafreniere)- Stick Season by Noah Kahan

• 15 (Cal Clutterbuck)- TEARS! by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 16 (Mitch Marner)- Evergreen (You Didn’t Deserve Me At All) by Omar Apollo

• 17 (Matt Martin, Tyson Jost)- Gilded Lily by Cults

• 19 (Matthew Tkachuk)- High by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 20 (Chris Kreider)- Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers

• 21 (Kyle Okposo)- The View Between Villages by Noah Kahan

• 22 (Cole Caufield, Kevin Fiala)- epiphany by Taylor Swift

• 24 (Scott Mayfield)- Waiting Room by Phoebe Bridgers

• 26 (Jimmy Vessey)- this is me trying by Taylor Swift

• 27 (Ryan McDonagh, Anders Lee)- Bleach by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 29 (Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Marc-Andre Fluery, Brock Nelson)- Motion Sickness by Phoebe Bridgers

• 30 (Ilya Sorokin)- Out Of The Woods by Taylor Swift

• 31 (Igor Shesterkin)- Life On Mars? by David Bowie

• 36 (Mats Zuccarello)- I Know The End by Phoebe Bridgers

• 37 (Andrei Svechnikov)- Francesca by Hozier

• 40 (Semyon Varlamov)- Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan

• 43 (Quinn Hughes)- Twin Size Mattress by The Front Bottoms

• 53 (Casey Cizikas)- Starting Line by Luke Hemings

• 58 (Kris Letang)- Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift

• 63 (Brad Marchand)- No Shame by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 72 (Anthony Beauvillier)- Strange by Celeste

• 75 (Ryan Reaves)- Jet Black Heart by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 76 (Brady Skjei)- Heroes by David Bowie

• 79 (K’Andre Miller)- Blender by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 87 (Sidney Crosby)- English Love Affair by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 88 (David Pastrnak)- I Wish I Never Met You by Babygirl

• 89 (Pavel Buchnevich)- If It Makes You Happy by Michael Cera Palin

• 91 (Tyler Seguin, Vladimir Taresenko, John Tavares)- Everything I Didn’t Say by 5 Seconds of Summer

• 93 (Mika Zibanejad)- Stay Together For The Kids by Blink-182

See you next year 🫶🫶

[one-chicago-fanfiction]

Casey and Severide: Roommates

Word Count: 2,200 Requested: Yes Summary: Matt gets sick, but insists on going to work. He's so used to taking care of things all by himself, but it doesn't take Kelly long to notice he needs a little help this time.

Matthew Casey checked himself in the mirror, and decided it was lying to him. Sallow skin, eyes red from lack of sleep, dark circles prominent against his sickly pallor. One long look at himself, already having dragged his body through the motions of waking, of pulling on his uniform, zipping the jacket to the neck even before leaving the house. He shook his head at the sight in the mirror and turned away, grabbed his keys from the counter, one step after another. He ignored the muscle aches, the beginnings of a scratching in his throat. He wasn’t sick. He just needed a kickstart, a strong coffee at the firehouse, a little fresh air on the walk to his truck. He just needed to get to work.

So Matthew Casey ignored his symptoms, and that was where he went.

The drive was fine, window rolled down for the shock of Chicago’s cold air, to keep his heavy eyes from drifting shut at the wheel. It had never happened to him before, but he understood now how it could.

He pulled his body through the motions as the morning went on. Truck to firehouse. Locker room to the coffee pot, already gurgling with the promise of a caffeine hit. Severide had beaten him to it, looking almost as tired as Casey, but the colour in his cheeks was good and when he glanced at Casey, there was a sharpness in his eyes that Casey knew wasn’t present in his own.

“Woah,” was the first thing his roommate said to him that day.

“Hey,” Matt said flatly. Kelly stepped aside, let him into the spot before the coffee machine.

“Sure you should be here today?” Kelly asked, and Matt cut him a look too tired to be a glare. It was a breathless sort of tired, the kind that made him pull in deep lungfuls every so often, like the air could ease the tightness in his chest, could breathe life back into his organs and his muscles and make it less of a mission to keep his eyes open, to just get through the day.

“I’m fine,” he said. Kelly held his hands up in defence. He hadn’t realised his tone had been blunt, or scathing, or whatever. His head was full of cotton wool. He wasn’t equipped for this today. He mumbled an apology anyway, told Kelly he hadn’t slept well last night.

“Clearly,” Kelly said, lips half curled in amusement, concern in there somewhere as well when it slipped. “Listen, man, go home if you need to. Cheif’ll get you covered.”

“Just need to work it off,” Matt said, waving a hand, drawing in the longest mouthful of coffee he could manage. Kelly nodded slowly, a gesture that said—if you say so. Matt swallowed with a grimace. The coffee was stronger than his usual, and today he was glad for that. He spoke against the burn of its strength. “Someone didn’t come home last night.”

“You know how it is,” Kelly shrugged, his smile sparking brighter now, his eyes alight and lovely with it.

“I know,” Matt rolled his eyes, managing as much of a smile as he could without his face hurting.

At that moment, movement from behind them, chief Boden stepping into the room, hands on his hips.

“Listen up, everyone,” he said, deep voice cutting through the din of everyone’s conversations.

“I’ll tell you about it later,” Kelly told him, voice hushed.

“You can spare me this time,” Matt shot back, and Kelly grinned, slapped Matt’s shoulder. They were pretty open with each other about these things, mostly at Kelly’s behest. Matt had always been more private by nature, but he and Kelly had gone from boyfriends, to wounded exes, to friends, to roommates who made out a lot, slept together sometimes. Matt had never had this kind of relationship with anyone before, no other friends who’d kiss him in one breath and be his wingman the next. He didn’t have words for it. He didn’t need them. Kelly’s smile warmed him a little, and he pretended it was all the helping hand he needed this morning. Coffee and Kelly and the job he adored—all that and he’d be just fine.

Everything else he could deal with alone.

Boden’s speech had been about an upcoming inspection of some kind, sometime in the next couple weeks, and Matt listened from the back of the room, only staying upright because of the wall at his back, and the words didn’t sink in so much as they brushed over him. He was aware of them, but they didn’t really reach him. He nodded like he understood when the chief met his eye, felt a pang of guilt for this small lie, and told himself Kelly could fill him in later.

He was in his quarters when Kelly came to him next, two sharp knocks, stepping in without awaiting a response. Matt looked up from his desk to find Kelly already closing the door behind him, fixing a look on him that Matt could read perfectly. Of all the people in his daily life, Kelly was among those he’d known the longest. The look on his face was partly concern, and partly his being done with Matt’s bullshit.

“Don’t start,” Matt said. “It’s just a head cold. I’ll be fine.”

“Not if you work yourself to death first,” Kelly shrugged. He was by Matt’s side then, perching against the edge of his desk, one hand braced against its edge, the other reaching out to touch Matt’s forehead. “Pretty sure you’re running a fever there, Casey.”

“Doctor Severide to the rescue,” Matt said, his best attempt at a smile, but he saw from the way Kelly dropped his gaze for a moment that he’d done it again, spoken accidentally in that tone, that voice that should have been reassuring but came out more like an attack. Matt sighed, let his whole body sag with it. “Sorry. I’ll admit I don’t feel great.”

“So go home.”

“Everyone’s entitled to an off day,” Matt shrugged one shoulder, reaching to touch Kelly’s hand on the desk, fingers tracing softly over his knuckles. He glanced up, looked Kelly right in the eye, mustered the best feat of strength he could. “It’s just an off day, Kelly. I’ll power through.” It was Kelly’s turn to sigh then, but he turned his hand over, let Matt entwine their fingers together right there at his desk. “Know what we’d be doing right now if I didn’t feel like crap?”

He smirked up at Kelly, watched his eyes flick to the bed at the other side of the room. It was hard to embarrass Kelly, harder even to get him flustered, but in that moment, the blush that rose in Kelly’s cheeks was almost enough to cure him. Kelly laughed, pushed himself up from the desk, slipped his hand out of Matt’s.

“You’re nowhere near as respectable as everyone thinks you are, Captain,” he said.

“Corrupted by your influence,” Matt said.

“Yeah,” Kelly laughed, leaned in to kiss the top of Matt’s head, and practically whispered against his hair. “I’m serious about you going home early. I’ll go to Boden if I have to.”

“Yeah yeah,” Matt said, with a roll of his eyes and a dismissive hand gesture as Kelly slipped out of the office. He repeated it to himself very quietly in the silence of Kelly’s aftermath. “Yeah yeah.”

Twenty minutes later, Matt was throwing up in the bathroom.

There wasn’t a discernible reason for it. He hadn’t eaten anything, had only been drinking water, had been careful not to push himself in the firehouse, to conserve his energy for any calls that might come in. But they’d had none today. It had been a quiet morning of paperwork and gentle lectures from Kelly, and still here he was, on his knees in the bathroom, bile rising in his throat, awful taste right at his back teeth.

And, of course, when he hauled himself onto his feet, pulled open the cubicle door and stepped out, Kelly and Chief Boden were there. They were each other’s mirror image, arms folded over their chests, looking at Matt with love and judgement all rolled into one.

“Go home,” they said together. Matt pulled in a deep breath, opened his mouth to argue, then let the protest die with one sharp exhale.

“Okay,” he said. “Okay.”

“You’re not driving, though,” said Kelly, and Matt looked from his roommate—his best friend in this world—to his chief.

“Herrmann’s got you covered,” Boden said. “Cruz is spotting for Severide. Shift’s over for both of you.”

“Chief,” Matt said, practically a plea. “That’s really not…not necessary…” But the nausea was kicking up again, and he groaned as it rolled through his stomach, churning waves that threatened to bring him back to his knees once more.

“He’s driving you home,” said Boden. “And I’m taking his word on when you’re ready to come back.”

“I told you not to work yourself to death,” Kelly shrugged, and Matt held his hands up. Their concern felt like love, and it felt like a tirade. It was getting a little overwhelming for him. He stumbled back into the cubicle, threw up one more time, and let Kelly drive him back to their place.

Kelly was full of instructions that day. Lie down, try to sleep, stop looking for jobs to do around the apartment. All productivity was outlawed by Kelly’s sharp glares—head tilted, brow raised—and without a forward motion to shift his body into, Matt felt a little lost. He wasn’t used to resting, really resting, not even when he felt like death. It was like slipping out of reality, a little.

But for every instruction to rest, Kelly did the opposite. He cooked, brought plates of food to Matt on the couch, and drinks that smelled awful but promised to ease his stomach, to soothe his throat. Kelly tidied the apartment quietly around him, let Matt doze off on the couch, covered him with a blanket. He stopped at the couch every so often to kiss Matt’s head, his temple, to touch the back of his hand to Matt’s forehead.

“Still hot,” he’d say, even as Matt sat there shivering in his hoodie beneath the blanket. He reached the stage where he was too tired to make a joke about Kelly calling him hot, his eyes too heavy, a sticky kind of tiredness moving through him, the feeling that if he let himself fall truly, deeply asleep, he’d never be able to get himself out of that tiredness, like he’d lose the ability to ever be fully awake. Already he missed that feeling of a spark in his eyes. He knew there was no spark in him today, and the logical part of him told himself was temporary, that sickness was sickness and came and went. But he couldn’t help the part of him not used to being sick, the part that knew one day something would finish him, and if it wasn’t the job it might be something that started like this.

The deeper the fever gripped him, the more he thought about death.

But Kelly knew him well, knew him like he knew this apartment, the firehouse, like he knew the job they both loved. It was barely after dinner time when Kelly helped Matt off the couch, easing him onto his feet and telling him, “It’s okay, I’ve got you.”

“I’m fine,” Matt said, but his eyes were heavy and his limbs felt weak. There was a small, distant ache in his stomach still, and nothing Kelly had served him that day had truly gotten rid of the taste of bile in his mouth. Matt made a face at the taste as Kelly helped him through to his bedroom.

“Want company tonight?” Kelly asked. “Or space?” By now they were in Matt’s bedroom, door pushed open, Matt lifting his arm away from over Kelly’s shoulder, making the rest of the few steps to the bed himself as Kelly fussed with the mood light on the bedside table, crossed the room to close the curtains.

“Company,” Matt mumbled, kicking off his jeans, slipping under his covers in nothing but t-shirt and boxers. He was almost asleep by the time he registered the mattress dipping with Kelly’s weight. He forced his eyes open to see Kelly shirtless, in his underwear and nothing else as he lifted the edge of the covers.

“Scoot over,” he told Matt, and Matt managed a smile as he did, as he shifted to the side of the bed that wasn’t usually his, but he didn’t mind this afternoon. Kelly settled in beside him, their bodies close, pulling Matt closer until his head was resting on Kelly’s shoulder.

“You’re gonna catch it,” said Matt. “Whatever I’ve got.”

“Yeah,” said Kelly, sinking down a little in the bed, fingers carding through Matt’s hair. “That was pretty much a given anyway.”

“Hm,” was all Matt could say in response. Kelly’s fingers in his hair were soothing, and despite the bright evening light still pressing against the curtains, trying to break through into the bedroom, Matt was tired, ready for sleep, and with Kelly by his side this tiredness was a little less frightening, a little less like giving up.

With Kelly by his side, Matt was asleep in seconds.

[laurenairay]

Thank you so much for celebrating my birthday with me!

16 blurbs, 12687 words, and a whole lot of fun.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of these if you haven’t read them already! 

Chris Kreider - “I’ve had a terrible day at work…so just kiss me.”  Tyler Seguin – “Yeah, well, if you weren’t so drunk maybe I would.”  JT Compher – “Your bed head is really cute.”  Dougie Hamilton – “We should compare hands. You know, for science.”  Nathan MacKinnon – “You know it’s only you who makes me like this.”  Cale Makar – “Come on, dance with me.”  Jamie Oleksiak – “My clothes look good on you.”  Andrei Svechnikov – “Would it be weird if I kissed you?”  Casey Cizikas – “Spend the night with me?”  Colton Parayko – “It’s raining, you’re going to get sick.”  Tyson Jost - “Hold my hand.” “What?”  Jacob Markstrom - “You bet on us?”  Leon Draisaitl – “Take a picture, it’ll last longer.”  Andrei Svechnikov – “I wanted to surprise you.” Matthew Tkachuk – “This is the opposite of what I asked you to do.” Nolan Patrick – “What are you doing up?” “My personal heater went away.”

[roberttchase]

Fluffy - comfort for brettsey 🥰

This...got away from me a bit. I didn't mean for it to get long, but I'm a big comfort fan. This is set late season 8, when the pining was intense. Enjoy 2k of sick, soft Matt and overly worried Sylvie.

“Has anyone seen Casey?”

Herrmann shakes his head from where he’s talking to Mouch about an idea for Molly’s. When Sylvie gets a head shake from both Ritter and Gallo, she sighs, not sure what else to do. She’s looked everywhere- his office, Severide’s office, the locker room, his rig, the common room. He’s nowhere to be found. Grabbing water from the fridge, the paramedic huffs and heads back to the bunk room, when she collides with Stella in the doorway.

“Woah! What’s up?”

Looking up, the blonde meets her best friend's eyes. “Have you seen Matt anywhere?”

Stella cocks an eyebrow and tilts her head a bit, a smug look overtaking her features.

“What?”

“Nothin’ just...I may have seen Matt somewhere,” her tone is teasing, and Sylvie wrinkles her nose at how foreign it sounds for the firefighter to say the mans first name.

“If you have something you want to say…” Sylvie inclines her head towards the other woman, who smirks.

“Nope,” Stella pops the end of the word, then rolls her eyes. “Last I saw, Casey was heading towards the turnout room to see what jackets needed to be ordered.”

“Thank you.” Sylvie turns before she can get another word in about her and Matt, and heads out to the apparatus floor. Moving past the squad table, she half heads Tony and Capp talking about some movie, but her head is mostly focused on finding the Captain, wanting to tell him about the good phone call she’d had with Amelia and Scott the night prior. Taking a left into the turnout room, she pauses when she sees the person she’s been searching for.

Matt’s leaning against the wall, clipboard loosely in his hand, head tilted back, eyes shut. He looks tired, like he’s purposely chosen this room to be in so the chaos of the rest of the firehouse can’t touch him. She debates on turning and leaving, letting him have some time alone that he clearly needs, but then she’s brought back from her thoughts when Matt makes a noise.

“Hey, sorry. Got lost in thought. Fancy meeting you here.” Though he smiles, it doesn’t reach his eyes like usual, and Sylvie’s already letting her eyes sweep over him, checking to make sure he hasn’t hurt himself.

“It’s okay, I can go and let you have some alone time.” She says it lightly, as if to be joking, but she’s serious. She doesn’t want to keep him if he needs to decompress- they’ve all been there- even if she hasn’t heard of any bad calls for truck today.

“No, it’s fine, like I said, lost in thought,” he clears his throat and stands up straighter. Sylvie swears she can almost physically see him put on his Captain persona. She hates it, hates that he can’t just be himself, even if she does understand it. She’s the paramedic in charge, which means she’s responsible for her and Foster. Matt’s responsible for the whole house.

Taking a breath in, Sylvie’s about to start telling him how her phone call went,  but she’s cut off when Matt coughs. The firefighter ducks his head away and into his arm, letting the coughs come as quietly as it sounds he can manage, finally straightening back up and clearing his throat again.

“I’m sorry.” He’s blushing, Sylvie notices, which is kind of adorable.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You know you can talk to me Matt.” She reaches her hand out and puts it on his shoulder, their eyes meeting. She tries again. “What’s going on?”

Matt hesitates, swallowing, and then rubs at the back of his neck, avoiding her gaze, eyes snapping down. “I’m just….I don’t….” She gives him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder as he tries to explain. “I didn’t really sleep well last night. Guess it’s just catching up to me is all. Don’t feel all that great. But it’s fine.”

Oh. Without thinking, she moves closer, her hand moving from his shoulder upwards, palm gently connecting with his forehead. It’s warmer than it should be. Frowning, she notices his eyes have shut at the contact, and he looks younger. Matt’s eyes flutter back open when she moves her hand.

“Come on…” Sylvie jerks her head towards the door, walking through it, knowing Matt will follow. Sure enough, he does, even if he looks confused as he trails after her and into the ambo when she opens the back doors. “Sit.”

She almost laughs when he sits on the bench to the side immediately. Turning, the paramedic rummages through one drawer, and then another until she finds the small, white, plastic instrument. “Put this under your tongue.”

“Bossy...Sylvie, this is silly, I’m f-“

“If you say you’re fine, Matt Casey…” she trails off and lowers her stare at him. Slowly, he takes the thermometer she’s holding out of him, a little plastic cover on the tip, and guides it under his tongue. As they wait, Sylvie’s struck with how young and vulnerable he looks. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen him sick before, or if she has, it’s been when he’s hiding it.

After another fourteen quiet seconds, the shrill repetitive beep sounds, and Matt takes it out, glancing at it. His shoulders sag and he lets out a breath, and it’s all the confirmation she needs to know he’s got a fever. Taking it, she looks at the little screen that’s lit up red, the numbers ‘100.5’ flashing.

“Matt.” She knows he must feel bad. Keeping her voice low, she hesitantly reaches out and brushes some hair away from his forehead. The atmosphere around them is suddenly, intensely intimate. She finds that she doesn’t mind, that it doesn’t bother her. “I’ll tell Bo-“

“No! No, I’m...I can do my job just fine Sylvie. It’s barely anything, really. I’ll be alright.”

The look Matt’s giving her makes her nod, but then she levels him with her own. “Fine. But I’m checking your temp every hour. If it hits 101 I’m telling him. That’s putting yourself and your team at risk.” She knows he wants to argue, so she goes for the low blow. Her hand is resting on his arm now, but she has no intention of moving it. If she’s honest, she has no intention of ever breaking this spell cast around them, but, as if the universe wants to tease her, the alarm goes off for ambo and squad. Of course.

“Be safe out there,” Matt says with a genuine smile this time, getting out of the rig slower than usual, as if his body aches. She’s sure it does, even if he won’t admit to it. She moves to the front, and just barely catches the look Foster gives the Captain as she jumps in. Watching the rear view mirror, she sees Matt slip into the firehouse, unnoticed with all the commotion. Maybe he’ll get some rest.

Sylvie fully intends to bring Matt back a smoothie, but while they’re on the way to the coffee shop that has the best ones in Chicago, they’re called to another company's scene to help transport another victim. By the time they’re leaving Med it’s close to ten at night, both she and Foster are tired, and the idea to bring back a smoothie isn’t even in her mind anymore.

They get back to an empty firehouse. Sylvie wonders how long they’ve been out, and after checking with one of the temps in the bullpen, it sounds like they’ve been gone a while. She hopes it’s not a bad fire, though she’s sure if it was they’d have heard about it by now over the radio or from main. Starving, the paramedic goes to root around in the fridge, but when she opens the door, she sees two covered plates with a little sticky note on top.

Saved for Brett and Foster. DO NOT TOUCH.

It’s written in Matt’s neat but scribbled handwriting, and it makes her body feel warm. Even when he’s not feeling well he’s looking out for her. As she heats the plates up, Sylvie hears the apparatus bay doors slide up, and the missing rigs park back in place. Minutes later everyone is bustling in looking exhausted.

“Bad?” Emily asks as Stella drops herself into a chair next to them at the table. When the firefighter only grunts, they both wince sympathetically.

“Not bad, but we had two back to back calls. Even if they weren’t bad, it was just…a lot.”

Matt walks in and heads straight for the bunk room, not acknowledging anyone. Sylvie watches him go, playing with her watch anxiously. Stella shrugs when they make eye contact, as if to say she doesn’t know what’s going on either. Deciding to take action, she excuses herself and grabs her plate, ignoring the looks from her friends. The paramedic follows the same path the man had, but when she gets to his quarters, she sees the door is shut, and the blinds are drawn. Worry pools in her stomach.

Quietly, Sylvie knocks, knuckles hitting glass. When she’s been standing there for almost fifteen seconds, the blonde starts to turn to leave when the door opens, revealing a disheveled Matthew Casey. His skin is just slightly paler than normal, dark circles under his eyes becoming more visible. What stands out to her is the way he’s got his right hand’s fingers pressed gingerly against where she knows his lymph node would be on his neck.

“Hi...you can come in, sorry. I just don’t have the mental capacity to deal with Severide right now.” His voice is just shy of raspy, though that could be from having to call the shots at the scenes.

Stepping inside, Sylvie sits on the mans bunk, then pats the small open area next to her, hoping to coax him onto it, and eventually get him to lay down and rest. “How’re you feeling?”

Matt freezes, then shrugs. “Like I have some silly little bug that you’re getting too worried over,” he decides, looking at her pointedly. Setting her plate in her lap, she mirrors the same gesture she had done earlier, hand going to the firefighters forehead again.

“You feel warmer. Why don’t you get some rest. You can do paperwork later, you need to get some energy back up if there’s another call,” Sylvie tries to reason with him. It’s a testament to how he must be feeling that Matt just nods. She’s about to move when he puts a hand out on her knee.

“Will you stay? Just for a little while.”

Her first instinct is to pull him into a hug and hold him close. Instead, she nods and smiles. “Mind if I eat while I’m here?”

“Of course not…” Matt shifts so that he’s lying on the bed instead of sitting. The space makes Sylvie move too, sitting next to Matt, propped against the back wall. Eating with her right hand, she reaches out her left and plays with Matt’s hair hesitantly. She pauses when he looks at her.

“No, no...you can keep...it feels nice.” The pink on his cheeks increases tenfold, and Sylvie wishes she could take a photo. Instead of responding, she merely continues the motion, and soon Matt’s asleep head falling to her shoulder.

Looking down, she tries to memorize how he looks, so young and at ease, sleep allowing him to get away from the heaviness of being a Captain. The urge to kiss his hairline is strong, but instead she continues to play with his hair, mind wandering and imagining what it would be like to get to take care of him every day, call him hers. There are worse ways to spend shift.

[emdeedot45]

Fluff 46 - “I don’t know if I want to yell at you or kiss you.” 😘

Prompt #1 "I don't know if I want to yell at you or kiss you"

Sylvie was mad.

Normally, it took a lot for her to get mad, but that’s what she was right now. She was mad and frustrated and pissed off and every other synonym under the sun that could be used to describe this situation.

The situation? Well, it started yesterday when she and Mackey had tended to a call at an old cemetery down town. As if the location wasn’t creepy enough, a clown had fallen into one of the open graves and needed medical assistance. Sylvie felt her entire body tense when she saw what they were facing. She hated clowns. They were so deceptive with their painted-on smiles and dirty tricks. But ever the professional, she put her fears to the side focused on the job at hand. She was PIC, she was a mentor to Mackey, she had to show she could handle this.

They couldn’t deal with it alone, however, and needed a manpower assist to get the clown out of the grave. Luckily for them, Engine 40 had been close by and swiftly got the clown out and Sylvie and Mackey quickly got him into the back of the ambo.

“God, I hate clowns…” she’d grumbled as she closed the backdoors to the ambo.

“Really? I always thought they were kind of fun in an entirely stupid way.”

She’d turned around and saw Greg Grainger standing behind her, his hands casually resting in his pockets and a charming smirk on his face that Sylvie figured got him pretty much whatever he wanted.

“No. They’re horribly deceptive.” Sylvie explained.

“Well for someone with a fear you wouldn’t have known with how you handled that.” He praised.

Sylvie scoffed in response, “Ever the professional.”

“Yeah… so, what have you been up to lately? I haven’t really seen you around.” He pried.

She’d been around. Maybe not as much as she’d normally been – nights on her couch with wine and HGTV or wine and girl time with Stella felt much more appealing that being at Molly’s, trying to focus on whoever she was talking to but her mind – and eyes – wandering to Captain Matthew Casey instead. Somehow, they always managed to find each other in a room and it was infuriating. She was trying to forget him. How was she supposed to do that when they kept burring holes into each other with their eyes?

Sylvie kept having to remind herself that it was stupid. He’d moved on with the kitten claw sign woman. She needed to find a way to move on too.

She’d shrugged at Grainger when he asked, “Oh you know, here and there…” she said awkwardly.

Mackey opened the ambo door and poked her head out, “You coming? I’m starting to understand why you hate clowns so much, Chuckles will not stop staring at me.”

Sylvie shot her a sympathetic smile, “I’m coming.”

Mackey quickly glanced at Grainger before looking back at Sylvie and giving her knowing eyes. Sylvie then remembered what Mackey had said to her at Molly’s;

“Girl, clearly you need to get out and have some fun on your own.”

Sylvie closed the doors behind Mackey. Maybe this was her chance to have some fun. Maybe this was what she needed to forget about Matt Casey. A fun night out with a handsome firefighter.

Though, if he turned out to be a jerk, she was swearing off firefighters for good.

“Hey uh—” she began as she turned back to Grainger. “Do you fancy grabbing a drink tomorrow? I mean, it’s not a big deal, I’ll just be at Molly’s and maybe you could join. No pressure.” She rambled as he smiled at her.

“Yeah, yeah that sounds good.” He agreed with a nod. “I will see you tomorrow night PIC Brett.”

“Great. See you then.”

And that is how she got here.

At Molly’s, sitting with Grainger, mad as hell.

It had nothing to do with Grainger. He seemed like a nice, sweet guy.

But it had everything to do with Matt Casey.

From the moment they sat down at the bar, his eyes hadn’t left Grainger’s back. He was shooting daggers through the guy and Sylvie could see his jaw clench and his knuckles turn white from gripping his beer bottle too tightly – and it only got worse every time Grainger nudged her hand or her leg or any time he made her laugh.

Maybe Molly’s wasn’t the best location for this, but the whole thing was maddening. She could date whoever she wanted, wherever she wanted, and Matt couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He made his choice, and it wasn’t her, so he had to live with that. Besides, he was dating too and Sylvie said and did nothing. She just got on with things.

Though silently, her heart hurt was hurting, but she could never admit that out loud.

She put up with the jealous staring for an hour, but then she heard Matt obnoxiously scoff at Grainger telling her all about an heroic save he made the other day – and she snapped.

“Would you – would you excuse me for just a minute?” she asked, in the middle of Grainger’s story no less.

“Uh – yeah, yeah.” He said, a little taken a back by the timing of her request. She felt terrible, but she just couldn’t do this anymore. She slipped off her bar stool and stormed over to Matt’s table where he was sitting with Severide, Cruz and Gallo.

“Can I talk to you?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the wide eyes that were being sent her way by the rest of the table who were surprised by her abruptness.

“Sure.” Matt said as he downed the rest of his beer for liquid courage before following her out of Molly’s.

They walked a few metres down the path and away from the door before Sylvie spun on her heel and glared at him.

“What the hell is your problem?” she demanded to know.

“I don’t have a problem.”

Sylvie clenched her jaw. Matt’s emotions were always written on his face – why couldn’t he just put them into words? She knew he was mad and she was sick of him not being honest with her.

“Yes, you do, you’ve been staring at me and Greg all night. I’m not stupid Casey and I’m sick of us dancing around the tension between us, it’s infuriating!”

“Fine, I was jealous ok? I am jealous. It kills me seeing you out with somebody else.” he exclaimed back.

Sylvie shook her head, “You have no right to feel that way—”

“Doesn’t mean that I don’t.”

She knew it was hypocritical to say that, but what else could she say? Sylvie took another step back from him because she couldn’t possibly put any more emotional distance between them. They might as well be strangers the way they’ve been treating each other for the past few weeks.

“I don’t know what’s going on in your head Matt, I don't know where this is coming from considering how we left things, but this jealousy thing – it has to stop. You lost your chance. You have to live with that as much as I do.” She said quietly. “Besides, you’re the one who went out with Sydney first.” she pointed out. He’d moved on a lot quicker than she had, but he seemed to be forgetting that little detail.

“Yeah I did, and it made me pretty damn miserable.” He confessed as Sylvie looked a little shocked by his confession. “I always do this when I go through a breakup. I try to distract myself with someone else and normally – it does help with moving on, even in the slightest way. But this time? It didn’t help.” He said with a scoff. “It made it a heck of a lot worse. It made me realise that I – I would rather be alone than be without you. It made me realise that I am in deep. I think I always have been.”

Sylvie’s body relaxed at Matt’s words. She wished it hadn’t, but it did. He was looking at her with a deep sincerity in his eyes and she immediately felt her anger dissipate. He was the most trustworthy person she knew and she hated that she was trusting his words right now. She hated that she knew they were true.

He did exactly what she was trying to do right now. They were trying to forget about each other by losing themselves in other people – but it wasn’t working and it never would. Grainger just wasn't Matt. Sydney just wasn't Sylvie. And that was the bottom line.

“What's that look?” Matt asked desperately.

“What look?”

“That look” he said. Her face had softened completely without her even realising as she tried to bite back a semblance of a smile. “It looks like you’re trying to stop yourself from saying something nice or even smiling at me.”

Sylvie sighed and ran a hand over her forehead, “I just don’t know if I want to yell at you or kiss you right now and god, it’s so annoying, you’re so annoying!” she childishly insulted. She had to at least try and be mad at him otherwise she might in fact kiss him. He would rather be alone than be without her – how was she supposed to pretend like he didn't just say that? How was she supposed to pretend that it didn't make her heart skip a beat?

Matt couldn’t help but shoot her an amused smirk. Even when she was trying to be mean she somehow made it stupidly cute. Sylvie dropped her hand from her head and put it on her hip, her distressed expression changing to a deep glare when she realised how he was looking at her.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She demanded.

“Like what?”

“Like you want me to kiss you.”

Matt’s smirk grew, “I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking at you like that.”

“Dammit Casey…” Sylvie grumbled as she looked to her feet, not wanting to get caught up in his gaze. It was stupidly distracting, and she knew it would suck her back in – but it shouldn’t. There was still so much left to be resolved if it ever actually could be resolved.

He wanted her now because he couldn’t have her. But in the long run, he’d revert to wanting Gabby – he’d made that much clear the night of their kiss.

“I’m trying so hard not to love you but you’re making really damn difficult” She confessed quietly.

It was Matt’s turn to be taken aback by her words. She loved him. She was trying not to, but she did. Suddenly, everything he’d been feeling for the past year had started to make sense. He’d been in denial about his feelings. The whole thing just felt messy from the beginning. His feelings for her just came out of nowhere and he’d tried so hard to push them away and focus on their friendship – but it was pointless.

Now, he too trying so hard not to love her, but every smile, every encouraging word, even little glance in his direction – she made it really damn difficult

Matt let out a laugh of realisation. He loved her. He really did – and he was going to prove it to her. He took a step towards her, watching as her body started to tense again.

“I’m the guy for you Sylvie Brett” he said until there was just a breath between them. “And I know there’s so much more to talk about and you maybe don’t believe me right now – but I’m going to prove it to you. I’m the guy for you Sylvie Brett. You’ll see.” He said, his nose ghosting past hers briefly before he started backing away from her.

This was going to be get interesting.