#med school casey

[jerzwriter]

I love Jess and Casey. Why weren't they endgame? 😔

Nonny, @coffeeheartaddict2 was messaging me asking if I'd consider doing an AU where they were endgame when I got this, so I was like, "Is this you?" lol Alas, it was not. lol

I adore them too, and if it weren't that Tobias is just Casey's true, true love, I'd be completely heartbroken that they didn't work (now, I'm just partially heartbroken. lol)

The bottom line is they met during med school. Jess was a grade ahead of Casey, and they knew she'd be heading off for her residency the following year. Jessica's last girlfriend really deceived her and ended up leaving her heartbroken. Casey's last relationship was with Tomas, and they really loved each other, but in the end, he chose his career (which relocated him to LA) over her. Both were hurt and unwilling to be hurt again, so when they started, they made it clear this was for now, not forever.

But... they actually fell in love. Both of them had a change of heart, but neither dared to mention it to the other because they didn't want them to feel pressured. A promise is a promise, right? I'll get to writing that, and I'll probably cry a lot lol

But the good news is they do stay friends for life. This is all I have written about them from the future. It's just a text fic, but if you have not seen it, I hope you enjoy it!

Did we make a mistake?

Thank you for sending some love to my girls, though, I adore them!

[myglassesareinkansas]

Listen I know they’re so adorable and they’re actually so supportive of each other in canon but I desperately need a Bryce and Casey academic rivals to lovers but they’re like. Friendly rivals

[spncrscasey]

Mine (m.c.)

Fandom/Characters: Chicago Fire - Matt Casey x Fem!Reader, Sylvie Brett, Stella Kidd, Kelly Severide, Blake Gallo, Wallace Boden, Christopher Herrmann, Joe Cruz, Darren Ritter

Word Count: 3.5k

Summary: You and Matt Casey had been secretly dating for a while, and it had gone smoothly since you worked at different firehouses. However, you were offered a job at 51 which despite seeming like a great idea, only made everything complicated.

Warnings: hurt/comfort, a bit of angst, a bunch of fluff, pet names, mention of anxiety, protective matt, kissing, happy ending

a/n: my first fic!!!!! (on tumblr that is lol) i used to write a lot on another platforms but haven't written for fun in forever (other than for school, ew lol.) so i might be a bit rusty so just yk excuse that until i get back into my flow :) anyways i hope you guys like it <3

For the last three years, you've been working as a paramedic at Firehouse 20 alongside Violet Mikami. During that time, you've come to know Blake Gallo as a result of his on-and-off relationship with her. Although he's a great guy, what made him even greater is the person he introduced you to about a year ago— your boyfriend, Captain Matthew Casey of Firehouse 51.

Where could you possibly start? His mesmerizing, smile and his charming personality drew you in in an instant. You never realized how the occasional encounters, transformed into intimate late-night conversations. And before you knew it, those late-night talks grew into romantic dinners and memorable dates.

After months of both of you dancing around one another, he finally masked up the courage to ask you to be his girlfriend. Without a moment's hesitation, you instantly said yes.

Six months have passed since then. Both of you had mutually decided to keep it private for some time in order to prevent any interference with your jobs. The only individuals who had known were your respective Chiefs, just in case something happened.

Your Chief also knew you could handle a busier station such as 51. So, he had just offered you the vacant paramedic position that was left after Foster left for Med School.

Initially, you were excited about the offer because it meant working with your boyfriend. However, now you're uncertain about accepting it as you're not sure how he’d react. While you believe he'd be as thrilled as you are, there's this nagging feeling that it would complicate things.

So you decided to call him.

"Hey Matt," You said once he picked up.

"Hi babe, everything okay? You rarely call me during shift." He replied, voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine." You assure him before nervously adding, "It's just... I have something to run by you...”

"Go ahead sweetheart, what's up?"

"You know how Foster left and ever since then there's been an open paramedic spot at 51 for a while now?"

He hums encouraging you to continue.

"Well, my Chief spoke to Boden and they both agreed that I could fill that spot if I wanted to."

"That's fantastic news!" He said excitedly. "Do you want to?"

You sighed. "I do want to. I think it would be nice to work with you and the experience of working at a busier station? That would benefit me, by a lot. I’d be able to learn so much."

"Then what's there to run by me? This is your decision Y/N." Matt questioned.

"It's your house! I don't want to interfere with the little family you all have built and make things complicated considering we'd be working together while dating and what if they take it the wrong way thinking I only got the spot because I'm with you-"

"Hey! Y/N, sweetheart, breathe." He says cutting off your rambling, trying to calm you down.

"What?" you ask, voice exasperated.

"Baby, no one's going to think anything like that. You're an amazing paramedic and you earned your spot because you're good at your job. Also, no one knows that we're together so they won't suspect a thing. We don't even have to tell them yet if you don't want to.” He said reassuringly before continuing, “And you wouldn't be interfering with anything, I can assure you that we'd all love to have you at 51. This is completely your choice though, so whether you want to transfer over here or not, you have my full support, regardless of what you decide."

You smile at Matt's words. "Thank you." You pause for a moment before resuming happily, "Okay I'm going to go tell Chief that I'm accepting the position! I'll talk to you later Matt."

"That's my girl." He says smiling before hanging up.

You swiftly head to your Chief's office and let him know that you completed the transfer paperwork and are ready to begin at 51 as soon as possible. He nods, smiling, and assures you that he will push the request forward.

It was now Monday. Which also happened to be the same day you started your first shift as the new paramedic of Firehouse 51.

God were you nervous.

You had spoken to Matt multiple times and he continuously reassured you that you had no reason to feel anxious because everyone would adore you. So why were you still panicking?

Matt liked you, Gallo liked you, and so did Boden after the short interview you two had.

You had also heard a lot about each of them through Matt, and they all sounded like wonderful people. So the odds of your new coworkers welcoming you with open arms were pretty high.

Yet despite your best efforts, you couldn't shake the feeling of anxiety that was coursing through your veins, leaving you a nervous wreck.

You let out a sigh, trying to calm your nerves as you approached the Firehouse. You bumped into Gallo on the way which instantly relieved your worries. Seeing a familiar face put your mind at ease, melting your fears away, even if it’s only for a moment.

The two of you engaged in an easy conversation as you walked into the building together.

Upon entering, you spotted a table near the rigs with several individuals seated around it. Gallo eagerly ushered you towards them, quickly introducing everyone.

"Squad, this is Y/N Y/L/N, our new paramedic!" He said as you smiled, waving at them.

Gallo then pointed at a tan, blue-eyed man who was sitting at the head of the table. "That's Lieutenant Kelly Severide. Head of Squad and those are his Squad members."

He quickly got up and shook your hand. "Nice to meet you Y/L/N."

You recognized him now. He was Matt's best friend, they'd been through thick and thin together. It was sweet actually, finally getting to put a face to the name you've been hearing so much about.

Gallo took his time introducing you to the other members of Squad, all of whom greeted you with kindness and respect.

As he slipped into conversation with them, you took the opportunity to excuse yourself and find your partner, Sylvie Brett, who you’d be spending most of your time with.

She stood out easily, being one of only two women in the house. You spotted her in the kitchen, chatting with another girl who you figured must be Stella, Severide's girlfriend. Matt had spoken to you about how amazing they were as a couple, and it always made you happy to hear about them. With a deep breath, you made your way over to them.

"Hi!" You smiled. "I'm the new paramedic here working with... Sylvie Brett?" You ask unsurly, turning your head to glance at the blonde hoping you're right.

"Yes, that's me! Hi!" She answered enthusiastically, hugging you. Matt had mentioned how sweet she was but the embrace still caught you by surprise. Regardless, you hugged her back, accepting the kind gesture. Once you pulled away you waved at the other woman who smiled back at you, introducing herself as Stella Kidd.

After conversing with them for some time and getting to know one another, you headed off to the officer quarters with the hope of seeing your boyfriend.

Once you approached the office that was referred to Matt Casey, you knocked.

"Come in." You heard so you stepped inside, closing the door behind you.

"Hi baby," You said, smiling at him. He looked up from his desk, features softening as he noticed you.

"How's my favorite girl doing?" He asked standing up to give you a brief kiss on the cheek.

"I'm great! Everyone here is so nice and fun to talk to. They've all been so welcoming." You answered excitedly.

"See, I told you everyone would love you. What's there not to?" He asked rhetorically, making you smile as he placed his hands on your waist pulling you in closer. Matt's inability to keep his hands to himself never fails to make you laugh. It was all quickly forgotten though when he drew you in for a more passionate kiss when he noticed that there weren't any prying eyes on you.

As time passed, days turned into weeks, and before you knew it, you had seamlessly become a part of them. Each member of the group welcomed you with open arms, and it felt like you had found your place within the close-knit family they had formed at 51. It seemed like you had found a lasting bond and a sense of belonging with everyone there, envisioning a permanent future among them.

You became good friends with Sylvie and Stella, established a nice mentorship with Hermann, and created a sibling-like bond with Severide.

Most importantly though, to your knowledge, no one had suspected your relationship with Matt.

You wanted to say something, you really did. You didn't want him to think you were ashamed of being with him. But you didn't want the people you had grown so close to to think that you were only offered the position because of your relationship with him; even if you were confident that they weren't the type of people to believe that.

It was an ordinary day. You and Sylvie had just returned from responding to a call— nothing too serious, just tending to a man who had been cut by a broken mirror. Together with Sylvie, you bandaged him up and sent him to Med for stitches, wishing him a speedy recovery.

You were restocking the ambulance when Sylvie spoke up, "So, did you see the way that guy looked at you?"

You almost choked on your spit at her statement, not expecting it. "How did he look at me?"

"Oh c'mon- there were literally hearts in his eyes every time you spoke up while bandaging him!" She exclaimed a bit too loudly making you shush her.

"Who had hearts in his eyes?" Matt chimed in as he walked up to you and Brett, joining your conversation.

"No one," You say brushing him off but Sylvie interjects. "This guy we were helping earlier, he totally had the hots for our new paramedic over here." She said, nudging you with her arm in a teasing manner.

"Oh, did he?" Matt asked in a tone that sounded like he was joking but you could see the way his body tensed.

"It's whatever, nothing serious. It's not like I'm going to go on a date with him." You roll your eyes trying to dismiss the situation.

"You should!" Sylvie replies happily, "You're pretty and single. He wasn't bad on the eyes either, if you know what I mean. Go have some fun girl! Who knows, he could be the love of your life." She adds, winking.

Matt gave a half-hearted smile and walked away without acknowledging Brett, leaving her looking up in confusion. "What was that about?" She asked.

"No idea," You say shortly, despite knowing exactly what was going on.

Matthew Casey was jealous.

It was quite surprising because he had never shown signs of being the jealous type. In the past, if another man approached you in his presence, he would politely ask them to leave you alone, making it clear that you were already taken. Or he’d simply put his arm around you in a protective, not-so-friendly manner, letting everyone know that you were his. It never bothered you. You found it cute, actually.

But this? This was different. He had never acted this way, which concerned you.

After you were done restocking the ambo you made your way to his office, hoping to ease the tension.

You sighed as you knocked, hearing a quick come-in before stepping inside. You noticed he had his head buried in paperwork, not even acknowledging you as you came in.

"Matt, honey, what's wrong?" You asked, worried when he still didn't look up at you. You waited for a moment before continuing once he didn't reply, "Baby talk to me."

He sighs before finally looking into your eyes. His ocean blues never failed to make you weak in the knees. So intimidating but beautiful nevertheless.

"I don't want to keep this a secret any longer." He eventually replied, motioning between the two of you.

"I don't want to either but you know we can't."

"Why can't we?" He said, tone a bit sharp, causing you to flinch for a second.

"Because-" you were cut off by a knock on Matt's door making you straighten up.

"Sorry to interrupt, but there's someone here to see you Y/N." Said Severide as he poked his head into Casey's office letting you know before heading out.

You quickly glance at Matt sighing before leaving his office, silently apologizing. You hated leaving mid conversation but this could be important. You noticed him trailing behind you as you walked out but chose not to comment on it.

Once you were outside, you recognized him as the man you had sent to Med earlier. The same man who had 'the hots' for you apparently, according to Brett.

This was going to be a long conversation.

"Hello!" He said, way too ecstatic for someone who had just been discharged from a hospital.

"Hi there, how are you feeling?" You asked, keeping the conversation polite.

"Better thanks to you, you saved my life."

"Oh, you know, no big deal! Just doing my job."

"Well, I was hoping to take you out on a date as a way of saying thank you." He said with confidence, catching you off guard.

"I'm very flattered sir but you don't need to thank me, let alone take me out on a date. I'm happy to help, love what I do." You say, hoping that gets rid of him.

By now, you were fully aware that most of the members of the firehouse were watching the interaction occur from behind you. Hence why you were aiming to wrap it up as soon as possible.

"No, no, I insist. We'll have a great time together!" He pushes.

"Like I said, thanks for the offer but I'm going to have to decline. Feel better." You say, turning around.

Before you had a chance to walk away, he grabbed your wrist harshly. Pulling you backward, making you lose your balance, and almost causing you to fall.

"Woah woah woah-" "Back off!" You hear the men hurriedly interject pushing him away from you before Matt yells, in a tone that sends shivers down your spine. "Get your hands off of my paramedic before I call the authorities. You have no right to touch her, especially after she said no."

Boden hears the commotion and steps out of his office. "What's going on over here?"

"This man put his hands on Y/N after she rejected him Chief. He was just leaving though weren't, you?" Matt replies, glaring at the man making him quickly walk away.

The second that he was out of sight, everyone turned to you. Stella speaks up, "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry guys, I'm fine." You say looking around at all of them, reassuring them that you're okay. "Thanks for the help. I'm sure he won't be coming back any time soon, especially after the way Casey glared at him." You add chuckling, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere around you.

"You'd almost think you guys were dating with the way he attacked him to defend you," Severide commented casually, using a tone that sounded like he knew something. Which you decided to ignore for the time being.

At the mention of your boyfriend though, you looked up hoping to catch a glimpse of him but noticed he was nowhere to be found which alarmed you.

As the crowd dispersed and engaged in their own conversations, you discreetly slipped away and made your way to visit Matt in his quarters, marking this as your second visit there in the last half hour.

This time though, you didn't even bother knocking and simply walked in.

When he noticed it was you, he quickly stood up concerned, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“Oh, I'm alright. Don't worry, it was nothing I hadn't dealt with before in this line of duty, you know how men can be sometimes.” You answered, nonchalantly.

You both stayed quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say. Finally, you decided to break the silence, “I'm sorry, Matt. I don't want to argue with you, so if it'll make you happy, we can go tell them right now.”

He sighed, turning around in his chair to look at you, “Y/N, this isn't just up to me, we’re in this relationship together. We have to make decisions like these as a team. I love you and I want everyone to know that but if you're not taking this seriously and want to go on that date instead then-”

“No! This is serious to me Matt, I love you and you know that.” You cut him off before he's able to finish the sentence. “I have eyes for you and only you, no one else matters to me but you, Matthew Casey.” You add firmly, making sure he understands that.

“Then what’s the issue here?” He asks, tired of the constant back and forth you've been having today.

You sigh and sit down on the edge of his bed before replying, “I just- I've become so close to everyone here in the last few weeks and I don't want their opinion of me to change after they find out that you and I are together. I don't want them to think that I'm only here because of you.”

“Baby…” He says in a softer tone, getting out of his seat to come sit next to you.

You don't look at him once he's sat beside you, opting to look at the floor instead.

“Hey, look at me.” He gently says taking your hands in his, grabbing your attention.

You hum as you bring your eyes up to meet his.

When he's sure you're not going to look away, he starts speaking, “Listen to me, everyone here? They're the most amazing and supportive group of people you'll ever meet. They won't dare say anything of the sort because they'd be beyond happy for us. And if they slightly even think about it, I won't hesitate to go all ‘Captain’ on them.” He says, making you chuckle.

“Besides, I don't want idiots like that guy who can't take no for an answer, hurting you again for a nonexistent chance of taking you out.” He adds.

You lean forward, pressing your forehead against his, and after a moment passes, you mutter a simple, “Okay.”

“Okay?” Matt questions.

“Yeah, okay, let’s tell them.” You reply, nodding enthusiastically.

“I want everyone to know that this handsome man right here,” You say pointing at his chest with a teasing tone, “Is of the market and mine only.”

“Yeah?” He grins.

“Mhm,” You say with an even bigger smile, before leaning in to press your lips against his.

As your lips finally touch, a wave of stillness washes over you. It feels as though the entire world has come to a halt and all that exists is the shared connection between the two of you. At that moment, nothing else matters except for the feeling of his lips against yours.

His delicate hand caresses your face, making you smile into the kiss as you pull him in closer, wrapping your arms around his neck. There's no need to hide your love for each other anymore, allowing your affection for one another to be expressed freely without the fear of secrecy. The rush of emotion flowing through you is intoxicating and God, it is an exhilarating feeling, one that you had never felt before.

Before the kiss could progress any further, you heard cheering outside making you pull away. You glance out the window to understand what the fuss is about when you notice that the blinds were left open, meaning that all of 51 just saw you kissing Matt.

Your cheeks flush with warmth, causing you to bury your face in Matt's shoulder as he laughs at your reaction. He wraps his arm around you, pulling you closer in a tight embrace.

You look up at him, mouthing an ‘I love you,’

He whispers back, “I love you too.”

He quickly leans in for one more peck against your lips, before bracing himself for all the questions you're about to receive once you head outside.

“You guys were betting on us?” You asked amused, raising your eyebrows at the exchange of money happening right in front of your eyes.

“Well, what were we supposed to do!?” Cruz exclaimed defensively, earning a giggle from you.

“I mean, we all knew you guys were head over heels for each other, that was obvious. We just didn't realize you had been together prior to all of this.” Added Ritter, shrugging.

“I can speak for everyone though when I say that we are all very happy for you two.” Said Herrmann, making everyone nod in agreement.

As soon as the initial stage of shock died down, Stella and Sylvie rushed over to you, enveloping you in a group hug, requesting all the juicy details. While Kelly simply gave Matt a supportive pat on the back, smiling at his best friend.

Soon, the questions regarding your relationship began pouring in. Matt drew you closer, wrapping his arm around your waist as he answered each of them one by one. You rested your head on his shoulder, closing your eyes briefly, basking in the serenity.

And at last, you found yourself finally feeling at ease. Your family knew, and they were happy for you. Which is all you could ask for.

[squadmuse]

ONE DAY IN OCTOBER - Part II

A MATT CASEY X HALSTEAD!OFC FIC (Charlotte Halstead Casey)

A/N: Part two is here, and it’s slowly but steadily getting more and more exciting! 🔥 Please read & review what you think. This is set in s7 btw. PART I

Charlotte nodded absentmindedly as she walked over to her locker and opened it up. “Yeah that’s a good idea, but I might go home and sleep.”

“It’s been a while since the two of you have had one on one time together,” stated Will as he slouched against the cool metal furniture, his brown eyes watching as his sister shoved her pale pink stethoscope away and fumbled around in her handbag. “You could always nap there, it’s past morning now so he’ll be home like always.”

Turning to face Will, Charlotte hummed indecisively. Her brother did make a good point. She could easily nap at their dad’s new apartment and catch up with him still. “You make a good point.”

“Well, I’ve been known to have good ideas, Tater,” laughed Will as he moved to help his sister into her jacket.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at his reply and giggled loudly at it. “Was Veronica Maguire in high school one of those good ideas, Billy?” she returned, smiling cheekily.

“Ok, that was one of my bad ideas,” stated Will as he remembered back to his high school prom. Veronica’s father had chased him for what felt like half of Canaryville, all because she and Will had made out that night. “But usually I’m a fountain of good ideas!”

Charlotte couldn’t help the snort that slipped out, and it caused both Halstead siblings to laugh hard. “Well, aside from Veronica and some other questionable ideas I’ve seen from you, I’ll agree that seeing Pop is a better one. I can make sure he’s doing well, and his meds are working for him still.”

“He’s a stubborn old guy, but he’s not stupid,” said Will as he locked up Charlotte’s locker for her and began to walk with her out of the room.

“If you say so,” replied Charlotte as she pulled her handbag higher up on her shoulder. “Like Mom used to say, we’ve all got that well-meaning Halstead spunk that makes us do stupid things.”

The two siblings laughed again at their Mom’s old joke. Charlotte knew she was lucky to have such a close bond with not only Will, but Jay also, and especially after they had lost their mother.

“Mom would kick his ass if he didn’t take his meds, probably will do so from heaven.”

“Damn right.”

It didn’t take long for Charlotte to leave Med, saying goodbye to Will in her dark blue SUV. He had made sure to walk there, even though he did not need to.

The two had decided that if Charlotte was going to go visit their dad, that she should pick up his prescriptions and some healthy food. Pat Halstead was a great connoisseur of all things fatty and greasy, which, after a quadruple bypass, wasn’t the best choice at all. Luckily, there were both stores on the way to the new apartment.

She had left Will at Med just after half nine, and after sending a quick text to Matt saying she had just left and for him to stay safe, Charlotte had happily arrived home and promptly fell asleep.

This pregnancy was definitely taking more and more out of her, especially if she didn’t keep moving or occupied. But Charlotte knew she wouldn’t have it any other way, both her and Matt wanted nothing more than their own baby, and this little one inside her was so wanted and cherished already.

Charlotte had never seen her dad cry other than when her mom had died and when she had married Matt, but Pat had teared up when she had told him he was going to be grandpa. He had already been helping Matt put together ideas for the nursery, the two bonding over their love of carpentry, woodworking and construction.

Standing in the doorway of the pastel green nursery after waking from her nap, Charlotte smiled at the painted white rocking chair next to the window. Even with a serious heart condition and waiting for his surgery, her dad had determinedly made the chair for his future grandchild’s first room. It was beautiful and she had definitely cried a ton.

Sighing, Charlotte decided to go take a quick shower and then head out to see her dad. Like Will had said, their dad had a routine and would be home now, most likely watching a baseball game on the television.

The sun was still shining as Charlotte drove through the streets of Chicago, and it just seemed like a good day to her.

It had been a quick effort to pick up some healthy foods for her dad, including some homemade low-cholesterol ready meals that she had found in the food store. The pharmacy had taken a little while longer, but Charlotte didn’t mind, and she had made sure to pick up a new oxygen tank with a mask for her dad. Luckily, he wouldn’t need to use it. But it was always good to have if the need appeared out of nowhere.

Even the loving text and sweet voicemail that Matt had left while she was asleep had made her mood even more irreversibly chipper, but her husband always had that effect on her. It just felt like one of those days where nothing could or would go wrong and Charlotte was happily relishing in it as she sang along to Taylor Swift in the car.

When she did finally arrive at the new high rise apartment building, Charlotte made sure to find a parking spot around the back. It was usually used only by the building’s occupants, but her dad had given her his permission badge to display it in her own car. He didn’t want her walking too far nowadays at six months pregnant.

Charlotte had just opened the trunk of her car and was bringing out the groceries and pharmacy bags, when she felt someone appear at her side and her green eyes quickly darted to her right-hand side and to the figure who stood there. Gasping, Charlotte placed a hand on her chest.

“Mrs Aquino, goodness you scared me there!” exclaimed Charlotte softly as she quickly smiled at the older woman. Her husband, Mr. Aquino, or Bert as he liked to be called, had been a friend of her dad’s since he had moved in, and Charlotte always made sure to be polite to the couple. It wasn’t hard, they were lovely.

Mrs. Aquino waved her hand dismissively. “My apologies dear, I just saw you on your own and had to come help!” she replied sweetly, moving to take two of the bags from her, leaving Charlotte with two also. “I still haven’t met that lovely husband of yours yet, we keep seeming to miss each other.”

“Yeah, Matt doesn’t have normal shifts at the firehouse,” replied Charlotte as she and Mrs. Aquino moved to walk into the building lobby. “That and his construction company keeps him busy, but I know he’d love to meet you too.”

Mrs. Aquino nodded as she pressed the elevator button. “He sounds like a good man, and that is all you can ask for nowadays,” stated the elder woman, glancing up at Charlotte with a wise look in her eyes. “I’m sure he’ll be a great father to your little one.”

“That I know,” replied Charlotte, unable to keep the broad smile off her face at the mention of her husband as a father. She and everyone around knew Matt Casey was perfect fatherhood material and would excel at it. “This little one is very lucky to have him.”

Luckily, there were not many people getting on the elevator today, and Charlotte didn’t have much time to talk to Mrs. Aquino as they approached the twentieth floor, where she lived. Promising to keep in touch, they had said goodbye, and Charlotte had kept herself in the elevator until it reached the twenty-third floor, where her father’s new apartment was.

Coughing slightly, she stepped out onto the soft carpet and made her way down the corridor to apartment 23C, the home of one Patrick Joseph Halstead. The door was unlocked when Charlotte went to open it as she knocked, which was unsurprising.

“Pop?” called Charlotte out into the apartment as she closed the door behind her. “It’s me, Charlotte.”

Pat Halstead’s head popped out of the kitchen doorway, and he smiled ever so slightly before making his way over to his daughter as he gave her a one-armed hug. She was the only one he ever really smiled at or showed affection to nowadays, since his wife and her mom had died.

“What are you doing here, Charlie Bear?” asked a surprised Pat Halstead, using his own nickname for his only daughter.

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her dad’s comment. “What do you think?” she replied, chuckling slightly, motioning to the bags on the ground. “Here to spend some time with my old man!”

Pat grumbled. “I don’t need you taking care of me girl, you have enough to do,” he told Charlotte, but he quickly took the bags from her. “I bet that idiot bellhop downstairs didn’t help you with the bags?”

“Pop, he’s a receptionist, not a bellhop,” sighed Charlotte as she followed her father into his kitchen. He had the window open, and there was a great view of Chicago from where Charlotte found herself among the white tiles and gray walls.

Pat waved his hand in the air. “Bullshit, you’re pregnant, and he didn’t help. What kind of man doesn’t help a pregnant woman?”

“I parked around behind, so I didn’t see him and Mrs. Aquino took some until we got to the elevator,” replied Charlotte as she pulled out one of the kitchen table’s chairs and sat down. “Oh, apparently Bert wants to know if you’re going to poker night next week by the way.”

Pat nodded as he sorted through the bags, huffing whenever Charlotte tried to get up and help. “I’ll call him later, Ronnie won big time last time,” he said, looking back at her.

“That’s good, how is Ronnie?” asked Charlotte. She had met Ronnie a few times now, and he was a nice guy. Her dad seemed to look out for him as he was in a wheelchair after a wartime injury.

“Doing well, got into a new VA group yesterday morning.”

“That’s great news,” said Charlotte happily, her eyes alight with genuine joy for the veteran. “We could go see him with some lunch. I brought bagels and soup with more than enough for us both.”

Pat agreed before going silent as he opened up the pharmacy bag.

“You can go on ahead, I’m just going to find somewhere to shove this blasted thing,” he grumbled, pointing at the new oxygen tank.

“Hey, don’t attack it, you never know when you might need it,” replied Charlotte seriously.

“I’m fine. It’s just heart surgery that I’ve had, and you four kids keep treating me like I’m some sort of cripple!” retorted Pat as he walked out of the room, leaving Charlotte alone with her thoughts.

After a while, Charlotte decided to go up to see Ronnie herself as she knew her dad would eventually make his way up to the twenty-fifth floor apartment.

Leaving Pat to watch yet another baseball game, she smiled and made her way to the elevator for the second time that day, and pressed a painted nail against the little button to open it up.

However, it was as she stood there waiting, that Charlotte noticed that the elevator didn’t seem to be working all of a sudden and she harrumphed loudly. Now she was going to have to walk up two floors of stairs while six months pregnant and then two back down to her dad’s apartment.

She just hoped that it would be working again later, the thought of walking twenty-three floors of stairs down to the bottom made Charlotte want to burst into tears.

Undeterred, the youngest Halstead continued on her way and pushed open the door to the south stairway. It was only then that she smelled a scent that was oddly familiar, as if someone had burned a roast or something similar. Shaking her head, Charlotte started to climb the way up to the top floor.

It was probably nothing.

[buthowboutno]

DONNIES POV OF THE LATEST CHAPTER... PRETTY PLEASE? 🥺

you've caught me in an amenable mood, sure!

Here's a Donnie POV from the very end of chapter 24 <3

(it's v unedited, apologies)

---

"Wow," April said as she leaned on the counter next to Donnie, "They're really out cold."

Donnie snorted and continued his task of gathering up the empty bottles around the bar.

(He liked to repurpose glass when he could. The more time he spent re-shaping it into his desired purposes it was less time he had to keep depending on subpar tech companies.)

"Just wait until you put a movie on in front of Sweets," Donnie retorted, "I've never seen someone pass out so quickly."

April hummed, gathering up bottles in her own bag, "Should we wake them up and send them home? I bet Leo would make an extra pit stop for them.

"Uh," Donnie said, tilting his head in confusion, "They're spending the night."

"You're not making them sleep on the couch, Donnie."

"I am not making them sleep on the couch, April."

"Sunny and I are taking the spare bed."

"Yes."

"The Casey's have already claimed the cots in the med bay."

"Correct again," Donnie said stiffly, a faint blush rising on his cheeks, "We... Sweets and I usually share my bed."

"Ohhh," April said, trailing off, "Okay. I see."

"There's nothing to see," Donnie argued, "It's simply the most sensible and economical solution. It would be a waste of resources to keep a spare bed fresh and clean with the frequency of Sweet's visits."

"I'm sure."

"Good," Donnie said with a huff, his gaze falling back on you. Your chest rose and fell softly as you slept. Your hand rested against your forehead and twitched as the breeze started to pick up.

It was getting colder again. Truly unprecedented weather patterns this year. If Donnie was a betting man, he would expect snow again before May.

(The month, not Sweet's roommate.)

(Duh, Donatello.)

"I think that's the last of the bags," Raph said, popping his head out of the portal Leo was maintaining just to the side of the pool, "You guys need anything?"

"Wanna get sleepyhead inside?" April said, jerking her head in your direction, "I'm worried about them catching a cold."

"No," Donnie said quickly, practically on instinct.

April raised an eyebrow at Donnie. Her eyes glimmered with satisfaction for just a moment as she schooled her face back to a neutral expression.

Donnie didn't have the energy for her presumptions right now. Not after the last few weeks.

"Raph, do you mind finishing up the bottles for me?" Donnie asked. He already tossed his bag over to Raph before he got an answer and was quickly approaching your side.

You scrunched your face up as Donnie gently raised your head off the chair and managed to settle your torso against his. You were solidly snoozing again with your face pressed against Donnie's neck by the time he managed to slide an arm under your legs.

Donnie pointedly did not look at April and Raph as he stepped through the portal and avoided Casey's blatant staring with a swift departure down his hallway.

You muttered something incomprehensible as Donnie took an especially sharp turn.

It was like a second nature for Donnie to chirp at you and press his cheek against the top of your head as he activated the door to the lab. It was one of the things that Donnie was actively choosing not to think about.

(He had a list.)

(Hypothetically.)

(If there were things that he needed to address.)

(Which there weren't.)

Donnie was so preoccupied in his thoughts that he didn't even think about the fact that he had managed to get a hoodie onto you without considering any of the necessary steps he needed to take before that. Namely, getting your swimsuit off first.

He... Donnie didn't think he should be doing that.

"Sweets, you need to go get changed," Donnie said softly, trying to lift you to your feet from where he had set you onto the bed.

(He tried not to think about the wet mark you left behind on his blankets.)

(Where was his mind today?)

You managed to blearily open your eyes and nodded at him. You allowed him to guide you to the bathroom and obediently took the pair of sweatpants he pressed into your hands.

Donnie shut the door behind you and took a deep, steadying breath. He willed his mind to that calming blankness he reached for during meditation. There was no other option, really.

Not on the fumes Donnie was barely running off of.

Ten seconds in.

Change out of his swim trunks. Place in hamper.

Fifteen out.

Replace the comforter, deal with it in the morning.

Twenty seconds in.

Take off his battle shell. Set it on the charger.

Twenty-five --

You opened the door to the bathroom, the light pouring in behind you as you yawned widely. You half-stumbled, half-walked towards his bed.

Donnie had to catch you as you attempted to pull yourself onto his sheets, your hands failing to find traction on the satin.

You giggled sleepily, your hand landing on the collar of Donnie's hoodie while he attempted to tuck you in. You managed to find his arm and tugged at it, humming happily as you managed to pull it to your chest.

Donnie, already leaning over the bed and in grave danger of losing his balance, had to make a quick choice.

Pull away, calm his heartrate, and go sleep on the lab couch, or...

He could stay.

He couldn't--

Could he--?

You would never--

You made the decision for him, in the end, whether you were conscious of it or not. You pulled forward Donnie with the whole weight of your torso as you leaned farther into his bed.

It was all Donnie could do to keep from squishing you beneath him as he landed on the bed. He would be lying if he said he didn't delight in the fact that you were so near, that every bone in his body wasn't screaming at him to stay close to you at all times.

You snored softly next to Donnie, your ability to pass out within an instant never lagging.

He... would be staying. It didn't seem worth it to disturb you more than Donnie had to.

That was the most reasonable justification that Donnie could find, in any case.

(He really needed to get his hindbrain in order.)

"Shelldon, lights off."

[sevcasejay1chicago]

Relax- Kelly Severide and Matt Casey

Summary: You’ve been pretty sick, and now Kelly is hurt. Matt and your friends at Med will take care of you.

Warning: SPOILERS (I can’t remember which season honestly), vomiting, sickness, hints/talks about drugs/addictions

~~~~~~~~~~~

You haven’t been able to relax since Kelly jumped out of the third story window and landed on the ground, completely unconscious and unresponsive. Matt had to pull you back so that Gabbi and Brett could work on him and get him in the ambo. Gabbi had to take over because you were too distraught, completely overwhelmed and terrified. Shaking too much to be able to properly tend to Kelly, no matter how hard you tried to steady your hands.

Days later, you are sat in one of the recliners in Kelly’s hospital room, waiting for him to wake up from the pain meds Clarke gave him after his transplant. You had the button for the pain meds, knowing good and well that Kelly would be afraid to use it after his fight to sobriety. Matt left you in charge of keeping up with Kelly, getting you the same shifts off as Kelly in order to be by his side, but also so that you could focus on school for a bit.

Everything has been stressing you out. School has been extra challenging with you also dealing with a sickness and still working at the firehouse as the PIC. Ironically, your own body was waging war within you and you didn’t actually catch this sickness from anyone else, but Natalie and Will have been treating you for it. The hardest part was waking up in the middle of the night to take the medication and the vomiting from the side effects.

The night before the accident, you accidentally woke Kelly and Matt up when you went running for the bathroom.

Kelly turned over to flip on the light when he was startled awake by your feet running across the floor. He shook Matt, who had been sleeping deeply and completely missed your mad dash for the toilet. “Matt. Wake up.” Kelly sighed, shoving Matt in one final attempt to wake him up before Kelly made his way to you. “Y/N’s getting sick again. Get up.” Kelly rolled his eyes and jogged after you when he heard Matt groan, but shift to get up.

Once Kelly got to you, you were already crouched in front of the toilet, one hand holding your hair back and the other helping to steady yourself. You were gasping and coughing, having already puked once, but feeling more coming on, but it felt stuck. Kelly ran the rest of the way to you, taking your hair from you. “Shhh sweetheart. It’s alright.” Kelly cooed, rubbing your back.

Matt came jogging in seconds later, coming to sit on the edge of the tub, leaning back to grab one of the wash cloths and wetting it under the faucet before placing it on your neck. “Awww baby.” Matt sighed, standing to help lower you to the ground. “Kneel down sweetheart. It’s alright. We gotcha.” Matt cooed, dropping himself back onto the edge of the tub and taking your hand in his.

You had allowed to Matt guide you down. You were exhausted. They were exhausted. You had been fighting this feeling for about an hour, but you just couldn’t hold it anymore. Kelly thumped your back, seeing as all the gasping and coughing you were doing wasn’t helping your situation.

“Breathe hunny.” Kelly whispered, patting your back again and releasing your hair to Matt so that he could reach around and rub your sternum.

“Your panicking sweetheart. You gotta relax.” Matt murmured, knowing that you probably knew this somewhere in the back of your mind, but you were so worked up that you couldn’t make yourself realize this.

Kelly felt you relaxing slightly under his hand, your chest muscles not as tense. Then you finally got it out, like your throat was clenched so tight that the vomit was blocked from coming up.

This round was harsh, like your body was urgent to reject it. Tears spilled down your face and you shook hard against Kelly, which was the only thing keeping you from falling forward. Your face was all but purple, strain causing redness and blue from lack of oxygen. It was like it was all pushed out of your body as you heaved. The vomit was practically continuous and it was starting to worry the boys.

“It’s okay. It’s alright hunny.” Matt whispered, urgent to try and get you to relax, but also trying to stay calm himself.

“We gotcha. It’s alright. It’s okay baby.” Kelly said, repeating himself three times before you finally stopped.

You leaned back, gasping and clawing at your chest. Kelly caught your body as you fell into him, clutching you to his chest. Matt caught your hands, holding them in his own and rubbing his thumbs over the backs. Kelly secured the washcloth that fell into him and wiped the vomit splatter off of your face.

“Slow down sweetheart.” Matt said firmly, catching your eyes. You locked onto him like he was the only thing that could save you. You sobbed loudly, releasing all the pent up anxiety in your cries, pressing yourself further into Kelly’s hold.

“Follow me sweetheart.” Kelly whispered in your hair, making his breathing slower but loud in order for you to be able to follow him. You leaned your head back, sobbing as your face looked up to the ceiling but you attempted to rest and relax into Kelly’s shoulder.

Matt let go of one of your hands to reach over and flush the toilet. He figured the smell wouldn’t be helping you relax and get through the worst of what you were currently feeling. He left the toilet lid up, though he was certain you were done, but he didn’t want to be wrong and you make a mess that would cause you to get even more upset.

Once you were calmed down, Matt got your tooth brush ready and then left to get you some clean clothes, seeing as you had gotten some vomit splattered onto your shirt. When Matt returned, Kelly was pressed up against you, rubbing your arms as you struggled to brush your teeth with how sensitive your gag reflex was at the moment.

“You are so strong. I love you.” Kelly whispered, kissing the spot behind your ear. You both hadn’t noticed Matt’s presence yet. You all loved each other so deeply.

Matt came up and kissed the other side, simply whispering a “me too” in your ear.

Then, after you were redressed and confident that you were okay enough to go back to sleep, you followed Matt back to bed with Kelly right behind you and settled in for some more sleep.

While Kelly had been hospitalized, Will and Nat had been floating in and out to check on you. Every now and then, they would hook you up to a saline drip and get some Zofran in you when the nausea was too much. They just billed the CFD insurance under Kelly’s name, given that he didn’t really need the Zofran, but it was plausible given the situation. You had refused to check in, so they just worked it out for you.

As it just so happened, that was your current situation since you didn’t want to disturb Kelly by vomiting in his room or making a mad dash for the bathroom and him hearing anyways. You were getting sleepy from the Zofran and placed your laptop to the side, seeing as you almost dropped it when you were nodding off.

Just as you put your school stuff away and pulled out the chair to make a makeshift bed for yourself, Matt walked in, trying to be quiet as to not wake Kelly, but loud enough to not startle you. “Hey sweetheart. Natalie called.” Matt whispered, coming to kneel next to you, brushing the hair back from your face.

“She didn’t have to do that.” You whispered back, rolling your eyes.

“Yeah she did.” Matt nodded, leaning over you to kiss your forehead. “Gotta be here for you both. I couldn’t live with myself if you were suffering to take care of Kelly and not taking care of yourself. Herrman has me covered and Boden practically pushed me out the door anyways.” Matt explained, slightly smiling at the end.

Just as you were about to reply, Kelly groaned behind Matt, shifting and grunting in pain. Matt was quick to stand, putting a hand out for you to stay where you were before running a hand over Kelly’s hair.

“Shhhhh.” Matt whispered, catching Kelly’s hand in one of his own and continuing to run a hand through the older man’s hair. “Relax Kels. We are right here. It’s alright. Just breathe.” Matt went on to coach him. Kelly fell into a fitful sleep, face pinched in pain, but slowly relaxing. Matt found you to be the culprit, having pushed the button since you couldn’t watch him be in pain anymore, but knowing Kelly was nowhere near maxed out.

“I couldn’t watch that.” You whispered, hanging your head down as you felt guilt overcome you. You and Matt knew that Kelly wouldn’t want the meds, but they gave him the stuff that wasn’t an opioid so he shouldn’t have a problem coming off of them. You knew that, but Kelly hadn’t come to terms with that before going through the procedure, so you had to make the decision for him.

Matt kissed Kelly quickly before kneeling next to you. “Hey.” Matt whispered, pulling your face up to meet his. Matt wiped at the tears coming down your face, brushing them off with the pad of his thumb. “It’s alright. He needed it and you know it’s okay for him to have it.” Matt comforted, hating to see you crying.

You nodded, closing your eyes and leaning into Matt’s touch. “Will you lay with me?” You whispered. “He won’t wake up for a while.” You said, knowing that would be one of Matt’s reservations.

“Of course sweetheart.” Matt whispered, picking you up and gingerly climbing in before laying you on top of him, careful of the tubes that were attached to you.

An hour later, Will and Nat came up with Clarke to check on you and Kelly. They found Kelly fast asleep, his hand clutched in yours. You were laid on top of Matt, all three of you were fast asleep. Nat gently unhooked your Iv from the tubing without waking any of you up and all of your friends stepped out of the room, closing the door after turning off the lights. You all deserved this sleep, even if it would be short lived.

[snappedsky]

ROTTMNT: You Are Not Alone Epilogue

The End.

*Reblogs appreciated*

--

Epilogue

One month later

Casey walks through the lair. He’s dressed in recently bought clothes, cleaner and more relaxed than he’s been in years.

He goes into the med bay where he does his usual, daily routine. He makes sure everything is clean; he checks the IV bag and changes it if he has to; he records the vitals, making sure they’re stable.

Finally, he sits in his chair and takes a deep breath.

“Hi, Sensei.”

Leonardo lies in the bed, completely unconscious. He’s been in a coma since the Krang battle ended a month ago. He had received a much needed blood transfusion immediately after and all of his injuries have long since healed- even the nasty crack down his shell is now just a scar. Most of the healing was done during his power surge from the Hamato ninpo, but everyone figures that’s also why he’s comatose. His body is beyond exhausted.

“So, today we went to Run of the Mill Pizza again,” Casey says, “Señor Hueso finally agreed to put our picture up on his Wall of Champions for saving the world. Leo wouldn’t stop hugging him. And he said he’d give us free pizza when you come to see him, mostly just to prove that you’re real. He still doesn’t believe that you’re from the future.”

“Cass got mad at me again today when I accidentally called her Mom. I’m getting better about it, but I still forget sometimes. I told her it’s just because I’ve gotten so comfortable around her that sometimes I forget. She said that it’s fine if I only do it once in a while. Then Leo and Mikey made fun of her for blushing and she punched them. She really is the same.”

“April and Sunita showed me around the city some more. They took me to Central Park, and Times Square, and we did a bunch of shopping. I’m getting better about being around people. And I’ve found out I like buying clothes. I got a nice pair of boots and Sunita painted my nails black. They look really cool.”

“April said I should go to school to learn more about the modern world. Donnie said there’s nothing he can’t teach me, and Cass said there’s nothing I can’t learn on the street. I told them that Master Donatello taught me all kinds of things so I think I’m okay.”

“The guys showed me another Lou Jitsu movie last night. It’s even better than the stories you used to tell me. And Master Splinter had a bunch of stories about the productions. Then we watched a Jupiter Jim movie, but Splinter didn’t like that one as much. I think they’re all great.”

[coffeeheartaddict2]

When life has other plans (16/16)

All's well that ends well

Book: Open Heart (AU)

Pairing: Ethan Ramsey x F!MC Casey Valentine

Word count: 3398

Warnings: language, sexual content

Category: Smutty fluff

Rating: Mature

Summary: It is Casey’s final year of residency. Boards, offers and a few surprises are in stall.

Disclaimer: characters belong to Pixelberry.

Authors note: we made it, last chapter and the happy ending I promised. For those who have endured another angsty AU thank you. I hope you enjoy the ending.

🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩

Casey could not believe it. Final year of residency was here. Between her regular duties as a resident and junior fellow, as well as studying for boards there was not much time for anything else, which was the main reason why she declined her nomination to be in the running for chief resident. Jackie was kicking goals with the position though and Aurora was back at Edenbrook also. Casey knew that the medical world would be her oyster after her residency but she was torn. She enjoyed the team and felt she still had much to learn and contribute but at the same time, what was going to be best for her.

After Ethan confessing about the nightmares he had been having, their relationship again grew stronger and closer. In a way Ethan was excited about Casey coming to the end of residency and the next chapter in her career but the ghosts of future chats past was starting to rear its ugly head. He did not want to hold her back in any way but he also knew that if he was out of his reporting lines then they could be more open about their relationship and that any allegation of Casey being where she is only because of him would be less.

On a rare day off for both of them Ethan decided to start a dialogue about their future.

“I am a little scared, the last time I had a “our future chat” was in medical school. To say it did not end well is putting it mildly. I do not want a repeat of that. I know Boards are still several months away but any post residency offers from elsewhere will start coming in before boards…”

“Yeah, I was chatting to Tobias about the other day and how I will not get my Edenbrook one until we get our results, let’s just say if Tobias was still at Kenmore he would have put an offer to me to spite you pretty much.”

Ethan could not help but chuckle.

“In all seriousness Casey, I do not want to hold you back professionally. I know it is not the be all and end all but I also do understand if you wish to move out of my shadow…”

“This much I do know Ethan, I am staying on the East coast, my family are on this side, you are but obviously we will discuss more as time gets closer. What happened with the last chat that had you so scared?” Asked Casey.

“It was med school, I was well into my third year. I had been in a relationship with a fellow student, Estelle. Back in those days I had a big wall so the fact I was in a relationship and had been for nearly 8 months at that point was a big deal. It was coming up to Estelle needing to pick residency and what we wanted to do relationship wise. She asked me if I loved her and I could not say it back. She was distraught and accused me of not being able to see a future. She stormed out and I went to see her the next day to apologize, granted the same apology I had said several times over and I was greeted by a near naked Tobias…”

“Ouch” said Casey, wincing.

“Tobias numerous times had a discussion about my walls and issues and how I needed to address them and well, I did not know how or did not have the drive to do so. I had also assumed that Louise had left me because she did not love me so there was that also.”

Casey squeezed his hand.

“Well I was rather angry as you would imagine. At both of them. That is the point where things between myself and Tobias turned toxic. Estelle after a few weeks kept trying to woo me back but I could not trust her again.”

“Wow, ok, I know you told me that you both liked the same woman in medical school but I had no idea what had happened…” said Casey. “I understand the fear better. As I said earlier, unless they are going to pay my college debt and moving costs and it is a great offer career wise, I am staying on the east coast. And I will not be making this decision unilaterally either.”

Ethan smiles and gives her a hug. This discussion buoyed Ethan even more. Up until Casey, he never saw himself getting married or even a de facto relationship, however, the longer he was with Casey the more he saw the prospect of marriage. It was not something that he broached with her yet but it was something he knew he wanted.

As boards get closer, the busier Casey is with work and study. Ethan is worried about Casey, burning the candle at both ends. Casey understands where Ethan is coming from but she states that she can cope. Her work on the team did not go down nor in her regular duties. He marveled at how well she was going. As much as Casey worked hard she, along with all of her friends, were looking forward to the wedding of Ines. She was getting married in Hawaii. Casey was looking forward to the break. The flight to Hawaii was uneventful if not long. But they made it safely and when they were all checked in Casey went to bed. She awoke the next morning. The sea air bribing back memories of Miami in her intern year. There was a familiar stirring at her core but she refrained, knowing full well that there was plenty of time after the wedding to partake in what she wanted. She got dressed and met Ethan for some breakfast. He introduced her to Kona and Casey loved it. She then went stand up paddle boarding with Aurora and had a blast. Then it was time to get ready for the wedding. Casey picked a strapless floral number that suited the beach location perfectly. She put her hair up in a bun and had a few strands shaping her face. The ceremony itself was beautiful. Casey stayed with her friends for the ceremony and Ethan stuck towards the back. Ethan normally spent weddings wondering why people would take the plunge, but this time he listened to the words of not only Zaid, but the commitments that Ines and Angie made to each other and he then saw himself at an altar, making the same commitments to Casey and a feeling of peace the he never thought he would know lay upon him. He enjoyed some of the activity of the reception but he moved out to a balcony. Casey saw him move and after collecting a slice of cake for him as well as herself, joined him.

“How are you going?” She asks.

“Good, it was a lovely ceremony and I have been enjoying myself.”

“I am glad” says Casey. They enjoy their cake and then they go for a walk on the beach.

“Have you thought about what you want from our relationship long term?” Asks Ethan.

Casey is shocked by the question.

“What do I want as in…”

“Do you see marriage or similar” said Ethan.

“I thought you did not believe in marriage?”

“Well as we have gotten closer I have come to quite a few realizations about what I want in life.” Said Ethan “And events and therapy have helped me realize that what happened in my past does not need to dictate my future, which in away I had been doing.”

“I must admit, if you told me at the beginning of second year that we were in a relationship, I would have thought that person crazy, don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy to be in a relationship, especially given what we have gone through but my mind has so much being on boards and post residency that it has not being at the forefront of my mind but in saying that, I do see a future with you.”

Ethan internally breathed a sigh of relief before saying.

“You do indeed look ravishing in that dress” says Ethan before he plants a searing kiss on her lips. Casey returns the kiss. While Ethan starts kissing the column of her neck, Casey asks, nearly breathless

“Shall we go to my room?”

“Yes please” says Ethan huskily.

They make their way back to the hotel, unable to keep their hands and lips of each other. Once in the lift he lifts he up and she puts her legs around his waist. His hand trails up her thigh and Casey gasps as his hand reaches her drenched centre. He plays with her clit. Casey quietly moans. The elevator reaches their floor and they resume kissing. They arrive at Casey’s room. They enter and Ethan pushes her up against the door. He finds her zip and unzips her dress and the top falls around her waist. Ethan ravishes attention on her chest. He stops and lets her down so that he dress can fall down. He kneels down, laying waste to her underwear and places her leg over his shoulder and kisses up the inside of her thigh to her centre. The session is short and intense and Casey succumbs screaming. “I love you so much” she says breathlessly.

He kisses her before they make their way to the bed. They go several long and rather intense rounds. Ethan falls into an exhausted sleep. Casey lays awake, physically sated and with a feeling of peace. As she lay there, her mind went back to that first time in Miami and how they agreed to the initial arrangement and reflected on how far they had come not only as individuals but as a couple and then she smiled before drifting off into a blissful sleep.

Ethan awoke first, he looked at the gorgeously naked woman who was laying over him and wondered what had he done to be in love with and to receive the same love in return. In that moment he knew he was ready and that he would propose after Casey got her results.

Everyone enjoyed the brief break but when everyone returned, they hit the ground running. Ethan and Tobias tried to lessen Casey’s workload generally so she was not overstretched leading into boards. A few weeks after Hawaii Ethan and Tobias met for lunch socially. It was then that Ethan told Tobias that he was going to propose to Casey. To Ethan’s surprise, he was not surprised at this development. He was very excited for his friend though. Tobias said if he wanted any help shopping or planning the proposal to let him know.

A fortnight before boards Casey was unwell, with a respiratory tract infection for which treatment with antibiotics was needed. Due to being ordered to not even come into work until the course had finished, Casey made a quick recovery. This did not affect her preparations for boards.

The day of the board exams came. Casey and the gang arrived early and waited to be let in. The first part was the multiple choice component with the practical component after lunch. The gang were nervous obviously but on a base level fairly confident. Casey was told by not only Ethan but also by Tobias and by Baz not to overthink the questions. The exam started and there were a mix of tricky and easy questions. Casey felt she was going good until there was a question about the maitotoxin. She had to do a double take and then internally started to panic. She took a few deep breaths and answered the question before carrying on. The morning part came to an end and a visibly shaken Casey retrieved her belongings and made a phone call. Ethan was at Edenbrook, doing paperwork when his phone rang. He looked at phone and Casey’s face was on the screen. He answered the call.

“How are boards going sweetheart?” He asked.

“There was a question about the maitotoxin. It shook me.” Said Casey. “I thought I was over the worst of everything with that bit…”

Casey, breath, please” interjected Ethan. Casey does as she is told. “I can only imagine how traumatic that was to see that question but remember, recovery is not a straight line, but the fact you did not completely have a panic attack is a good sign.”

“Thanks Ethan, I did manage to get through the rest.”

“Glad to hear it, I will see you tonight.”

“See you tonight and I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Casey hangs up and has lunch with the rest of the gang. They discussed how they think they went and the maitotoxin question and Jackie asked a question.

“Has anyone seen Landry?”

“To be honest, I have not looked for him.”

“I did not see Judas” stated Elijah.

“He either ended up elsewhere and this was not his testing location or wherever he ended up did not work out.” Said Aurora.

All agreed though, they were quietly happy that they did not see him.

The afternoon session went without a hitch and then it was time to head home and get ready for the post boards party. Casey was looking forward to this on multiple fronts. She was looking forward to celebrating with her colleagues but also with Ethan. Between work and study, they had not much alone time together and Casey was looking forward to rectifying that. After a nap and a shower she got dressed in a rather salacious red lingerie set, she knew it would be ruined but she did not care. She wore it under a black wrap dress, paired with some heels and she was more than eager to go. The party at Donahue’s was in full swing and it did not take him long to find her. She looked alluring in the black wrap dress and all thoughts of impropriety came rushing forth. She eventually joined him at the bar.

He put his arm around her and whispered how ravishing she looked. Casey suggested that they head back to his house.

Traffic was mercifully good going from the hospital to Ethan’s apartment. As soon as they entered the lift, his lips were on hers. Ethan was a man starved and the journey from the lift to his apartment seemed to take ages. He just about had her up against the wall of his entryway when she told him to stop and guided him to the couch. She stands a little away and slowly takes her dress off. Showing off her new lingerie set inch by painful inch. As soon as her dress came tumbling down he got up and pushed her up against the window. Her breath catches as her back lands on the cool glass. He holds her hands above her head with one hand. He kisses her hard while the other hand plays with the nipple through her bra. He instructs her to keep her arms above her head for which she complies. He kisses down her neck and collarbone. He yanks and rips at her bra before circling her nipples with his tongue before gently sucking them. A slight moan escapes Casey’s lips and he whispers in her ears huskily.

“I am just getting started.”

One hand trails down to go between her legs. Her hips buck at the touch. A groan releases from the back of Ethan’s throat. He moves away slightly to remove his clothes. She quivers when she sees his rock hard cock. He kisses her again hungrily and picks her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. He slowly enters her, allowing time to adjust before moving out and thrusting back in hard.

“Fuck” Casey mutters.

They set an arduous rhythm from the get go and it does not take long for Casey to get close. Ethan holds her on the precipice before he succumbs, triggering Casey’s. He helps her ride it out and then when he feels able, he carries her bridal style to his room. He kisses her gently after laying her down on the bed. The second time is gentler but no less intense. The whole night was filled with sessions equal in intensity. They eventually fell into a deep and blissful sleep.

The last month of residency went in a blur. Naveen stood down as Chief of Medicine. The position was given to Ethan and he was encouraged to seriously think about it. Ethan toyed with giving Casey the team but he knew that would give the misogynists plenty of fodder and he did not want the accomplishment tarnished. Tobias suggested having Casey run it with someone else. Tobias was very impressed with how Casey worked and felt that it would only be a matter of time before she was leading any team in her own right. Ethan then asked Tobias how he felt about running the team, either as a sole leader or co-leadership with Casey for which Tobias replied

“I would very much like to run the team with Casey.”

Now Casey had received several offers. John Hopkins, Mayo, Kenmore, New York Presbyterian, Grossman and Perleman among others. They were all good offers but when Ethan got his offer and started thinking about it and what he wanted to do in the role, the decision was then made that she would stay at Edenbrook.

The last two weeks of residency came and Casey was exhausted. She had been working hard sure but this was another level. On the day that the board results were due, Casey was feeling nauseous. She was nervous about the results but this felt different. She then realized that she was late.

“Fuck” she muttered as the realization that again she was pregnant set in. She ordered herself a blood test. Her board results came in and she had passed with flying colours. She was relieved and excited, especially when she read her Edenbrook offer. Co-running the team with Dr Carrick. She then fought off a wave of nausea.

Her results of the blood test came in by the end of her shift.

She read them while catching the T to Ethan’s apartment.

She was not surprised but also shocked. She arrived at Ethan’s. She saw the romantic setting and was surprised. Especially when she spotted Ethan looking a little nervous.

He offered her a wine, which she declined and she got Ethan to sit down. The ring was sitting in his pocket and with how Casey was looking he all of a sudden became more nervous. He tried to remain calm, but trying to remember what could have upset her was a ball that had already started to move.

Casey could see how nervous he was.

“It is nothing bad Ethan, at least I hope not.”

All overcome with nerves she hands Ethan the result of her blood test. Ethan read, then reread the results again and then he looked over at Casey and he smiled.

“I never thought I would be here, ever, even after the events of the end of your first year. I never considered you an obligation then and I sure do not now. All I do know is that I want it all with you. A marriage, children. Everything. For the longest time I thought I did not deserve any of it and thus ruled it out. But I confronted the issues, with some prompting I admit but I confronted them and even though there will always be a part of me that will wonder if I do deserve it, I do know that the past can be learnt from and that it is not a tool used to dictate my future. I love you so much Casey and I look forward to embarking on life with you, no matter what it has planned.”

He takes a breath and produces a box. He opens it and gets down on one knee.

“Casey, will you make me even happier and marry me.”

Casey was shocked, then looked at the ring. It was gorgeous and then she looked at Ethan.

“Yes, my gosh, Yes.”

He placed the ring on her left hand and they kissed a kiss full of promise of what was to come.

———

Authors note: A fun fact, the ending with the pregnancy was only thought of when I started this chapter. I was always going to have a proposal but it feels full circle now. For those who endured the angst and frustration thank you so much. I hope you all enjoyed the ending

Tagging: @jerzwriter @jamespotterthefirst @cariantha @tessa-liam @youlookappropriate @potionsprefect @liaromancewriter @genevievemd @bex-la-get @crazy-loca-blog @a-crepusculo @zealouscanonindeer @alj4890 @schnitzelbutterfingers @trappedinfanfiction @binny1985 @lucy-268

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

[themultifandomgal]

Matt Casey- Fight For Us Pt1 (rewritten)

YN and Matt have been married now for 5 years. They have a little girl together who is the spitting image of YN, but has her dads mannerisms . They love one another, they truly do, but after their best friend Andy Darden died they drifted apart. YN Andy and Severide all went to school together. They've known each other since kindergarten and been best friends since. Matt really struggled with the loss of his Andy, blamed himself for his death, your best friends death, which led to pushing his wife away.

Things have been getting better for the pair and for the first time in 2 months they are finally in a good place again. Of course they're both still dealing with the loss of one of their best friends but they know that together they will get through it.

"I wish you and Kelly would sort out what's going on between you both" I sigh washing up the breakfast bowels while mine and Matts 5 year old daughter is getting ready for school

"Yeah well he's blaming me for Andy's death"

"I know and I'll speak with him, but we were best friends. All wanted to go through the academy together. If it wasn't for my asthma I wouldn't be a paramedic"

"The best paramedic" I pass the bowels to Matt to dry and raise my eyebrows

"Dont change the subject. Look all I'm saying is Kelly is angry, upset, hell we all are, but he needs to blame someone and if it's not you it will be himself. At least you can take it"

"Momma I'm ready" Ella calls from the hallway

"I'm coming" I call back "I'll drop Ella off at school. I'll see you in a bit" I peck Matt on the lips and turn to move, but before I can get to our daughter he pulls me back to him

"We're good aren't we?" he asks looking into my eyes

"Course we are" I give him another kiss then leave the house with Ella.

Almost immediately after I arrive at the firehouse we're on a call, a huge car accident has happened. I run over to one car where there's a little girl inside just a little older than Ella

"Hi sweetie I'm YN. Can you tell me your name?" I ask

"Madeline"

"Ok, listen, Madeline, I want you to see if you can

turn your head toward me" the little girl does as I ask. She has a huge gash on the side of her head. Once the mom is out I jump into the car through the drivers side "hey, your going to be ok"

"It's dumping gas" mouch shouts as the car in front starts to flam. Madeline starts to whimper

"We're ok. Look my partners coming now to help me get you out" Leslie opens up the door and starts to move the little girl out

"Wait. Her jugular" I take out my stethoscope "Muffled heart sounds.It's Becks triad" I give Leslie a worried look as she picks Madeline up

"Come on, sweetie" Leslie puts Madeline in the back of the ambo. I jump in with her while Leslie shuts the doors and speeds towards Med.

Thankfully we get her to the hospital in time.

"Was the little girl ok?" Ella asks

"Yes luckily she was"

"My momma and daddy are superhero's" this makes me chuckle. I glance at her in the mirror, she's sat in her car seat swinging her feet with a huge smile on her face. I pull up the the fire house when Ella asks "will grandpa be here?"

"Yes angel he will" I reply turning the car off and jumping out. I open up the car door and help her out of her seat

"And daddy?"

"Yes and daddy and uncle Kelly"

"Daddy and uncle Kelly don't like each other any more. Why?" Ella asks taking my hand in hers as we walk past the trucks

"They do like each other, it's just their jobs make it a little harder to be friends. Remember Kelly was my best friend before I met daddy"

"And uncle Andy" she stops and points to a picture we now have up of him. I lift her up into my arms

"Yes and uncle Andy"

"I miss him momma"

"I know, so do I. And. So does uncle Kelly and daddy. Which is why they are having a little argument now" I place a kiss on her forehead when I hear a familiar voice

"YN you best hurry up, Casey's cooking" Severide says smiling with hands on his hips

"Uncle Kelly!" Ella practically jumps out of my arms and into her godfathers arms

"You hungry little one?"

"Yes! Momma can we have some food?"

"Yes angle. Course we can" I follow behind Severide and see Matt behind the kitchen counters. Dad, also known as chief Boden gets up from the table and walks over to me giving me a hug "hi dad"

"I'll bring a plate over for you and one for Ella" Matt says to me grabbing 3 plates. Severide places Ella down and she runs holding my dads hands to sit next to him. I then watch the awkward interaction between Severide and my husband. Not only is Matt blaming himself for Andy's death, but so is my best friend. I look over at my dad for some guidance, but he just sighs and gives me a small smile

"I bet uncle Andy would have wanted us to all be friends" the room falls silent. Trust the child to make everyone uncomfortable. I watch as Severide takes an orange and walk out of the room "momma did I upset uncle Kelly"

"No angel. He'll be ok"

Later that evening were called out during the night to a building fire. Matt and Herrmann both are knocked out during their search but thankfully Kelly manages to get them both out with the help of the others. So the rest of our shift was spent in the emergency room waiting to hear how Herrmann is doing since he was worse off.

[jerzwriter]

1.- Was there something particularly difficult for your MC and LI back in med school? I.e. a subject, the smell of a corpse, drawing blood, etc. 2.- Were they a gifted/naturally good student or more of a "I had to work hard" kind of student?

Hey Nonny! Thanks for the great ask! Let's take a look at my pixelated people.

Casey/Kaycee: I think there were two things that were challenging for them in med school. One was learning to deal with some of the gorier parts of medicine. In time, they're able to do it without flinching, but it was a process, and she definitely considers getting beyond it part of her educational experience. A second issue she faced was longstanding misogynistic elements within medicine. While great strides have been made, there are still miles to go. Not only was she a woman, but she was a pretty, tall, blonde woman, and she was subjected to many "Dr. Barbie" jokes and such. She also outshone every asshole who made them, but nothing pisses a misogynist off more than a woman showing them they're nothing. So it didn't get better.

She was a perfect mix of naturally gifted and needed to study. But the latter was primarily because she wanted to be the very best, and it paid off for her.

Ethan: Ethan's biggest demon in med school was probably himself. He was still grappling with a lot, and while he was very cocky on the outside, he still harbored a lot of self-doubts inside. That sometimes impacted his work, and it certainly impacted his relationships, which in turn, impacted his work. Also, I believe it's canon that he said chemistry wasn't his strong suit. :)

I think he is similar to Casey/Kaycee in that he is naturally intelligent, but he won't rest on that. Therefore he is very studious because he doesn't want to be good. He wants to be the best.

Tobias: Tobias also didn't love the blood, guts, and gore, he adapted, but at first, it wasn't fun. Like Ethan, his personal demons were his biggest challenge at that time. His relationship with his father and his death during med school created challenges he didn't even realize at the time. These really impeded all areas of his life. Tobias was a naturally gifted student his whole life, and med school was no different. He did apply himself, but he never applied himself as much as he could have. If he had, I don't think he would have come in second to Ethan at any point. I also believe Tobias knew that and was angry at himself, but wouldn't admit it, so he took it out on Ethan and others at the time.

Thanks for the ask, Nonny!

[buysomecheese]

I've seen two posts about what jobs the kidads would have outside of D.A.D.D.I.E.S. which means I am giving my own input now

Grant- librarian (canon), I think he thought about doing competitive soccer like Professionally but he was in one college game and had Four Knights (?? forgot how to spell?) flashbacks. Same with competitive gaming/e-sports. Librarian is safe and quiet and flexible

Marco- fuck I think he's a contractor right? Also an be fairly flexible, weird hours so definitely could work with Grant as far as homeschooling goes. I really think he Wanted to be a fireman though

Nicky- saw someone say that Nicholas said he wanted to be a forensic psychologist, Nick said he wanted to be a rocker, both secretly wanted to be a marine biologist to live in a submarine and actually I've decided that's so real and true. I also like the animator idea someone else said so I think that's what they ended up doing. Generally I think they spent too much time in hell to do a job that requires stable hours

Cassandra- canon voice actress, queen shit

TJ- this is entirely me projecting but I think he's in a long-form school to become a doctor. Like not your typical med school path but idk fucky things kept happening so universities and such had to adapt, schools can have a much more self-paced course syllabus and such. He learned basic first aid in Faerune and decided that *someone* needed to be able to do that shit forever, and then got really into the sciences behind it. On track to become an EMT but wants to do either general/family physician work or become a medical professor (he really likes his substitute teacher work)

Veronica- I like the idea that she works in sales/marketing for Casey's ale company. I also have next to no thoughts about her so idrk what I think she might do

Lark- I like the idea that he worked at Mercedes' radio station for some time. I think he would've continued it but he got Really Shitty mentally and like just fucking drove around the "state" of "California" for a few weeks, and then holed himself up in D.A.D.D.I.E.S. HQ and reinforced a bunch of random shit. Definitely was almost recruited into some military organization as a weapons specialist but was too flighty (hah) and non-committal about it

Sparrow- works with the Swallows ice cream business, but he really just kind of wants to be a house husband. He's actually really tired all of the time and he loves having the house to himself (but will never admit it) and he needs that time to decompress and not have to mask so severely, but he'll never tell Rebecca that so rip

Rebecca- future Swallows CEO; would probably try and work in a creative field if she didn't feel she had to. Unaware that she'd have both Sparrow and Lark's full support and she refuses to talk to them about it. Wow these guys are great at grinning and bearing things they don't have to, huh

[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

[baelpenrose]

Project Praetorian 45: Happen Fast

Micah has strange experiences sleepwalking. Vergil is the first to figure out the cause. beta-read by @canyouhearthelight.

Also yeah the thing about the javelin anti tank missile. One of those costs more than I make in a year.

Micah

He was still slowly recovering from the day of testing when he was pushed to start training again. School in this place was hard, and he’d never liked online schooling, even when he’d had to do it on and off for family reasons.

There had been grumbling - a lot of general rage and grumbling - when it had been announced to them that they would temporarily be moved back into the prison dorms in the main facility while a group of UN-loaner NEST troopers hung out at Imperator to pave the way for a UN inspection of the facility. That news had been slightly leavened with the news that ground had been selected in both the Palatine and the Aventine bases. They’d been talking on and off about the setup for it, he hadn’t been cognizant enough to look at all the details - but he’d seen some of the sketches.

Exercising hadn’t been as bad - honestly, with only a few weeks to start and eating tons of food, he was already showing bigger and bigger muscles. 

The stress was getting to him though. He knew there was stuff up with him - bipolar, certainly, anxiety, depression, Checking OCD. But now he’d started sleepwalking.

It wasn’t much, just weird. Then again, he’d seen the changes others’ bodies had had. Maybe things had just shifted around a little. Possible it was just a new thing, maybe his other symptoms would calm down a little in time? Then again, it could also just be stress - it might not be a new sickness or symptom: he’d been off his meds for a short while when he’d first been kidnapped. It wasn’t a huge shift, either - mostly winding up a few feet away from his bed, for the most part, usually falling asleep listening to music. 

No, right now, he was just grateful that Leon had gone apeshit and ensured that he was getting a steady supply of his medication, and that, when asked what kinds of things he could do for a healthy outlet for the checking OCD, Curtis had walked him down to the armory and gone over the entire list of everything the team needed. 

“This is every piece of equipment the team usually deploys with. If you want to start training towards O&A NCO for the team, I can show you how to check every piece of equipment so you can do the checks. Make sure that when the team deploys, it has every piece of body armor, weaponry, every bullet, bandage, ration pack, everything, it needs?”

He’d spent some time, then. He’d been learning to field strip his own weapon, sure, to fully take down every weapon and re-assemble them on base, to make sure that every single piece was in place, that helped. He was in awe of Curtis, who could take apart almost any gun in the armory and put it back together in a matter of seconds. 

Micah appreciated the checklists though. Especially once he found out that having this job also upped his pay. Check the ammunition pallets. How much 6.8mm? How much 5.56? How much 7.62? Do we have enough .50? Twelve gauge? Both the normal buckshot and Casey’s horrifying specialty loads? Grenades? Are all the weapons where they are supposed to be in the weapons locker? 

It was soothing, doing the checks, every day after weapons training, and filling out the forms to make sure that new stuff was going to be coming in and refill anything that was missing. 

Then one day, as he filed the forms, he’d called Curtis over. He’d been filing one to order more rounds for a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon, and then…

“This can’t be right.”

The big Marine looked at him funny. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…Curtis. If this is right, a Javelin missile costs more than either of my parents make in a year. Full loadout of launcher plus five missiles costs more than our house.” 

Curtis grunted. “Yeah…uh. Welcome to the US government - or one of the projects it goes in on arming. Want to know something painful? For most of my career they were fired at things that cost less than the missile we were hitting with it.”

Micah took a breath. “Allah. You people.”

Curtis winced. “Yeah. Anyway. Makes you feel any better, they are the bare minimum it takes to crack the tanks the aliens have, and that’s if the shields are down.”

“You’re kidding.” 

“No.” 

It did not, in fact, make Micah feel better knowing he’d be on the receiving end of anything that required that kind of hardware to crack. 

That night, he drifted off listening to the hum from Xavier’s ipod, since he was closest to Xavier’s bunk. Vergil had claimed the space furthest from it, since the skinny blonde apparently had sensitive ears. 

When he woke up, he was lying on the bathroom floor. He got to his feet, idly wondering what was going on. This was the furthest he’d sleepwalked so far.

Micah padded back quietly, consciously this time. He was used to moving quietly around his own house, since he did frequently wake up in the dead of night back home, and frequently needed to pace without waking anyone up. On bare feet, in the dark, Micah would have been undetectable…

Then he walked back toward the dorm, and saw a scrawny shape, also in the issue pajamas, leaning against a wall, blue eyes catching the light. For a moment his heart sank, thinking it was Jared, then he realized the figure was much too small, and the body language was wrong.

Vergil.

Mentally, Micah updated his stealth ability to “almost” undetectable on bare feet, in the dark. Against Vergil, “almost” wasn’t good enough.

“Hey.” Vergil’s whispered tone was casual. “How’d you leave without me hearing you?”

Micah blinked. “You hear everything. You didn’t hear me sleepwalking?”

“I do hear everything. That’s why I’m asking. I heard a whisper of sound, then a louder one. I didn’t hear footsteps. Weird humming. I heard your footsteps on the way back. But I didn’t hear you moving.” Vergil blinked. “Which means you weren’t moving. Something else was happening.” 

Micah looked between himself and Vergil. “What else could be happening?”

Vergil shrugged. “General guess? Your powers are coming in. Maybe it muffles sound so hard even I can’t hear you. Maybe you’re teleporting. Maybe you’re manipulating gravity and floating so you aren’t making sound. Couldn’t guess. But you aren’t sleep walking normally, something is happening here. If you want, I’ll watch and wait for the next time it happens.”

Micah blinked. “Are…you offering to stay up?”

“More…I don’t really sleep that well since they shoved us back into the crowded dorm. I might as well get something useful done.” Vergil shrugged. “You can owe me something later if I figure out something cool. But, you know. Welcome to Praetorian.”

The other boy playfully punched Micah in the shoulder and walked past him, hooking around and walking back through the door to the boys’ bedroom. 

Micah looked at his legs. Was he really…floating?

Vergil

God, when was this stupid fucking inspection going to be over so they could go back to the normal barracks? Better yet, when was their custom built home going to be done? 

Still, he couldn’t deny, watching one of the new kids was definitely a good distraction for his sleep issues. It helped to have one thing to focus in on. 

Molly had taken up practicing music again, which…good for her, but he couldn’t stop noticing that she was always at her most excited when Kimmy started bopping in time to it, not when he noticed it. Though, Kimmy herself always seemed happy to react to either Molly’s music or the admiring looks of just about anyone to her gymnastics, so…

He shook his head. Crushes weren’t the point he needed to be focusing on right now. He’d ask Kimmy to the next Praetorian Prom. It wasn’t like Molly would be out of the closet in time to beat him to the punch.

And now he was, himself, super curious to see how Micah was moving around. He leaned up in his bunk and watched the other kids. Mark was leaning up against his wall, reading a book, and probably texting on and off with Casey. Those two were insufferable. Jonathan was signing with Shiloh, who was always a wildcard for where they slept.

Xavier was listening to music, and Jared was trying to get his attention - the two were apparently bonding these days. After his beatdown, Jared had been a lot less antagonistic, even if he was still a bit of a prick. 

No, though. Micah was gently rocking in his bed, taking deep breaths. Vergil took in the automatic lights out, letting his eyes adjust as people went to their own bunks, and waited for something to happen with Micah. 

The older boy took breaths, trying to sleep, clearly listening to something, probably Xavier’s music - it was something rhythmic, as usual. Xavier liked to fall asleep to something, gave him white noise.

The others eventually drifted off - except Mark, who pretended to. That boy was still awake, the irregular rhythm of his breathing giving the game away. Still, Mark was probably staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. Vergil had realized some time ago that there was something off about that one - a good guy, but obsessive. 

He kept his focus on Micah - and it wasn’t too long before his attention paid off. That strange hum came back, and Vergil focused his gaze on Micah. He lost sight of Micah, for a split second - and heard a rush of air. Then…

He heard rustling and someone standing up just outside the dorm. The hum had cut out. So…

Son of a bitch.

Micah was teleporting, somehow. Vergil let out a low whistle. That was that question answered. 

Teleporting. Holy crap. He wondered what that hum was. It had to have something to do with it.

Then he looked at the clock and realized that it was almost three in the morning.

He had training tomorrow.

Figuring out whatever the hell the hum was could wait.

[she-karev]

Adventures in Babysitting and Singing (Alex Karev’s Sister Babysits Harriet Avery)

Age Rating: 12+

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

AN: So after all the angst and the family drama I decided to do a little fun chapter. Here Amber is gonna sing due to Liz Gillies being an underrated singer who deserves more recognition. The gif above is Amber's outfit at Joe's during karaoke.

Summary: Amber is tasked with babysitting Harriet Kepner-Avery and struggles throughout the day.

Words: 6254

I walk by Vik Roy in the lockers after getting my scrubs from the laundry to get started on my next shift. It’s day 13 and I am still learning the ropes of this place. You would think the directory would be extremely helpful, but it might as well be in Mandarin, and I only took ASL for my language requirement in pre-med. I open the locker and put my backpack inside when Vik opens his stupid mouth for some reason.

“You missed karaoke night last night Barbie.” I ignore his smug voice, “You should’ve seen me play that sexy little number Dream On. I think you would’ve begged to come home with me.” I feel him staring at my body after I take my white top off exposing me in my black lace trim bra, “And boy that would’ve been the best 40 minutes of my life.”

I snort at him, “40 minutes? Bitch please you’ll be lucky to last 40 seconds and that’s with performance enhancers.” The interns chuckle at my comment and Roy is persistent.

“Is that a challenge?” He grins at me.

Helm groans from across the room and comes to my defense, “Boundaries Vik you’ve heard of them, right? Have you not seen the news at all over the past year?”

I scoff at her and put my top on, “Helm I can handle myself and Vik think up new flirting techniques or the closest relationship you’ll have is with your hand.”

Vik chuckles and closes in on me, “Well maybe seeing me sing like an angel tonight will make you want to see what else this hand can do.”

Helm rolls her eyes, “The only reason your so cocky is because nobody else sings.”

“Yeah, and even if I did hear you sing there is no demon demented enough to possess me and want to take advantage of you and the 15 seconds your hardly capable of giving.” Roy rolls his eyes and is blocking my way, “Now get out of my way chunk!” I push him against the lockers to get him out of my way causing him to yell out in pain. I walk past him and wash my hands next to Helm. Suddenly we all get a page at once, I look and am elated that there is a massive car crash on the bridge.

Helm smiles, “Oh my god a massive trauma, I’m scrubbing in!”

“Not if I get there first!” I push Helm behind me and run out as fast as I can to the pit. All of the other interns fall behind because I’m the only one who’s athletic. Except for Casey Parker, his military training ties with me as we run side by side and arrive at the pit quickly grabbing gowns and gloves.

“I would be pissed I’m not the only intern here but I’ll give you props for keeping up.” I admit to Casey as I put the yellow gown on.

“Same. Where did you run like that? Track?”

“No I was an outside hitter for my volleyball team in catholic school there was a lot of cardio.”

Casey looks at me surprised, “I didn’t know you went to catholic school.”

I tie the strings on my back, “Good you shouldn’t know it.” I say it with venom.

Casey looks at me amused, “I get it. Your so mysterious and tough but I think deep down inside that hard shell is a big softie.”

I put my gloves on, “Think whatever you want buddy but I’m gonna get to scrub in before any of you losers do.”

“You were probably a girl scout and sold the cookies outside a grocery store in fourth grade.” Casey theorizes as the interns finally catch up and gown up.

 “Ha! Jokes on you I skipped fourth grade and ninth and I finished premed in three years.” I chuckled smugly.

“Maybe you’re just more annoying than tough.” Casey says as we wait for an attending to come. We hear a baby cooing behind us and look to see April Kepner approaching us holding her daughter Harriet in her arm.

I stand back, “Oh um Dr. Kepner good morning I didn’t know it was bring your child to work day I would’ve requested a day off.”

April looks at all of us and groans, “Well the daycare wouldn’t take her because she has a fever and they can’t admit her unless she’s fever free for 24 hours. Dr. Avery has a big surgery coming up so I need one of you to watch Harriet and make sure she’s happy and healthy. Who’s the lucky intern?” I look at her in shock and the others take a step back and single me out as the prime candidate, “She-Karev it’s your lucky day!”

My eyes widen in horror, “No, no, no Dr. Kepner I strongly advice against that ask anybody here I am the least maternal person of all, ask them! Guys help me out!” The interns stay quiet though and I don’t blame them. Just then the ambulance arrives with the sirens blaring and the baby cries. Kepner puts the crying baby in my arms and I automatically hold her by her armpits still processing.

“Okay monitor her temp.” Kepner gives me instructions that I listen to even though my stress has risen above a ten, “If it gets above 101, give her a teaspoon of acetaminophen and give her fluids. She needs milk in ten minutes bottle is in the bag you got this Karev.” Kepner plops the baby bag on the floor and rushes out to the bay.

“Have fun babysitting Barbie!” I hear Roy yell out as I look at this baby in front of me in horror as she continues to cry. I put her in a football position, bend down, grab the bag and head out groaning at what my day has suddenly turned into.

An Hour Later

I sit in a chair at the nurse’s station trying to feed Harriet but she won’t take the bottle. She just keeps crying and wiggling in my arms and people are looking at me like I’m a bad parent. I try to put the bottle in her mouth so she can latch but she won’t do it and it is frustrating me.

“Please, please eat I am begging you.” Harriet cries harder, “Oh god come on it’s milk from your mom straight from the breast you should love this come on man give me a break.”

“Well this is a scary sight.” I swing my chair around to find Alex and Jo looking at me with pity, “Whats Harriet doing with you?” Jo asks, “She doesn’t look like she’s having fun and neither are you.”

The baby keeps crying and I think a vein is popping out of my forehead, “She has a fever, daycare isn’t admitting her and Kepner stuck me with her brat. Now I think this baby is starving herself so she can die and her parents will fire me. Don’t do me like that Harriet come on!” I try to feed her again but Harriet won’t let me and her fussiness escalates to screaming and my eyes widen at the volume this kid is achieving. Alex stands in front of me.

“Okay come on let Uncle Alex take you away from the mean lady.” Alex takes the baby from my arms and takes the bottle. Almost immediately Harriet stops crying and takes the bottle Alex puts in her mouth to my shock.

Jo looks at us back and forth perplexed by how differently we handle the baby, “Are you sure you two are related?”

“What did you do?” I ask my brother as he rocks Harriet.

“Nothing. Maybe it’s just you.”

I furrow my eyes in question, “What do you mean maybe it’s me? I tried exactly what you did and that Chestburster was screaming at me.”

“Chestburster?” Jo asks.

Alex chuckles, “It’s a creature from Alien the one that burst out of that guy’s chest and killed him.”

“Well, I think that’s your answer on why she doesn’t like you.” Jo looks at me in dark amusement.

Alex moves toward me and I back up, “Whoa what are you doing?”

“I have a surgery in an hour and I need to map out the plan for the patient’s parents. This Chestburster is your problem now.”

I panic and try to sway him, “I’ll pay you to take her off my hands please I am begging you.”

“You’re an intern you couldn’t afford me, here.” Alex puts Harriet in my arms and she cries again and I whimper, “Don’t freak out so much babies can tell and then they freak out too.”

I look at him annoyed, “Can’t I just dip my finger in whiskey and put it in her mouth?”

“You do know that baby is an Avery, right? So, her entire family will come after you and sue you for everything your worth if you ply her with alcohol.” I groan at Alex being right, “I gotta go.”

Alex leaves me to take care of the crying baby and I look to Jo in desperation but she catches on, “No.” She then walks away and I lean back trying to rock the baby against me to calm her down.

Later

I sit on the single bed cross legged in front of Harriet who is also on the bed playing with her teething ring. After getting her fever down she started to calm down thank God. I was able to feed her a whole bottle and now I’m just watching her teeth on a rubber ring. It’s like Disneyland to her but to me it’s just watching a baby grind her toothless mouth against something. I sigh and look at her bored.

“So do you know any good jokes?” Harriet looks at me oblivious of what I asked, “I just figured some of the other kids at daycare told you some that are exclusive among toddlers. I probably wouldn’t get the joke anyway given how you can’t even make a knowledgeable sound let alone say knock knock.” I can’t believe my source of communication at the moment is a 1-year-old. I check my phone to see if Dr. Kepner or Avery paged me to bring her to them, “Well looks like your stuck with me a while longer kid, sorry.” Harriet stops teething and makes an unknown face and wince at me. I raise my eyebrows, “What is it? What’s that face for?” I catch a funky smell and I pause. I take another sniff and gag as I realize why she made that face, “Oh god!”

I immediately stand up and grab Harriet by her armpits so I don’t have her stinky diaper anywhere near me. I breathe through my mouth and try to open the door but I’m busy holding the baby and I don’t want to put her down as I see her diaper is leaking through her pants. I knock on the door with my foot and yell out, “Help! Someone open this door, this kid needs a diaper change!”

The door opens and Andrew comes in amused by the sight and laughs at my expense before closing the door.

"Fun day?" Andrew asks with a grin that pisses me off.

“Shut up and help me she’s leaking!”

“I got her give her to me.” Andrew takes the baby from me and goes to the single bed to lay her down by her bag, “Hello bambina does somebody need a change?” Andrew smiles as he starts to change Harriet’s diaper.

My eyes water at the fumes as I stand behind him as he kneels down in front of the bed, “Oh god it smells so bad.”

Andrew chuckles, “Yeah I think you broke Amber here Harriet.” I glare at him even when he does a baby voice for Harriet who giggles, “Who knew all it took was a leaking diaper from a very cute baby to break that Fort Knox of a woman. Yeah, you did Harriet.” Andrew laughs at Harriet’s giggle, and I marvel at how he’s so good with this baby.

I sigh, “How is everybody better than me with babies?”

Andrew looks at me curious, “You never babysat before? Or had friends with kids?”

“No.” I admit softly.

Andrew chuckles lightly while he wipes Harriet's bottom, “Oh that explains a lot. And I heard about the scene from this morning the nurses were close to calling the cops on you. Can you pass me a diaper?”

I look at him frustrated and dig in the bag to hand him the diaper, “Don’t patronize me you know just because I have breasts doesn’t mean I’m maternal at the first sight of a baby DeLuca.”

“Okay I’m sorry I was just saying there’s an underlying factor here at why you're not bonding with Harriet that’s all.”

“I may look it, but I am not Stacey from The Babysitter’s Club.”

Andrew raises an eyebrow as he finishes changing Harriet, “I didn’t think you read those books. I figured you for a Goosebumps kid.”

“Oh, I was but I finished the whole series and got bored.”

Andrew grins and focuses on Harriet, “Okay little lady let’s go for a ride!” Andrew lifts Harriet up and lifts her in the air like a rocket. She giggles and grins at him I roll my eyes at her that DeLuca catches as he set's Harriet down in a hip hold, “Come on you could take a note from Stacey and just relax around her babies can tell when your stressed and they get stressed too.”

I groan, “You sound like Alex.” Andrew laughs as he rocks the baby up and down, “Don’t laugh at me DeLuca nothing in my life has prepped me for this, Malcolm in the Middle had better parents than me.”

“Okay you make a good point. If you find it hard to relax just sing to the baby that works every time look.” Andrew starts to sing in Italian, and I don’t know the words, but I’m entranced at that gorgeous Italian man singing and so is the baby. He sings for a few moments and stops, “My sister used to sing that to me when I would have trouble falling asleep.”

I am still gawking at him, “What is wrong with you? Tell me now because no living person should be this perfect.” Andrew chuckles and he gets an alert from his phone ending this sweet moment.

“I’m about to tell you, I have to go the pit is overcrowded. Here take the baby.”

I give him my best puppy eyes and whine, “Please stay I am so bad at this and you’re hot and Italian and you can sing she loves you and she hates me. If you leave, we're gonna kill each other.” I say that last one in a serious tone to explain the gravity of my situation.

“I can’t stay I’m a resident and I don’t need a write up.” He gives me the baby and turns to leave.

I need to pull out the big guns, “If you stay, I’ll do that thing with my tongue you like so much.”

Andrew stops and turns raising an eyebrow, “Amber-”

“Twice. Three times!” I’m so desperate I’ll let him call the shots all night if it means getting this kid off my back.

Andrew’s eyes widen at the suggestion but he remains strong, “As much as I want to negotiate sexual propositions in front of a baby, I have to pass and save lives. Just remember what I said when in doubt belt a song out.” Andrew kisses me quickly and leaves the room.

I look at the bundle of terror in my arms and frown, “I don’t suppose you could do me a solid and not cry the rest of the day?” As if she heard me and wants to defy me she starts to cry and I freak out, “Oh no. No, no it’s okay the sexy Italian is gone but you still got me that’s something right?” Harriet starts to cry harder and I look around and find the teething ring, “Here do you want to teeth some more? Will that make you feel better?” I try to put it in her mouth, but she yells, and I keep it away from her, “No? Okay no teething got it.”

I bounce up and down with Harriet’s head over my shoulder to try to calm her down and she finally stops crying. I exhale in relief until I hear a gargled sound come out of Harriet and I feel a wet sensation along my shoulder blades. I stop bouncing and take a deep breath, so I don’t freak out about baby vomit on me.

The baby cries again and all I want to do is put her on the bed and get myself new scrubs but if I did that I would be arrested for child endangerment. I move her to a football position so I don’t get more throw up on me and try to soothe her.

“Shhh. Come on I fed you, I changed you, I patted you and now I have your lunch on me what else can I do?” Harriet keeps crying and I pat her back, “Okay you and I need to come to an understanding here. I am not a baby person until today I never even held an infant and you seem to sense that hence why you like everybody except me. And it’s pretty clear that you are just a baby and you can’t tell me what you want so here’s what I’m gonna do.” Harriet keeps crying as I explain, “I am gonna take that handsome man’s advice and sing to you if it will get you to stop crying and I walk out of here with my sanity intact. But if you tell anyone what I did in this room I will make your life miserable when you become an intern here and I'm your attending. Okay give me a second, I’m a little rusty.”

I clear my throat and take a sip of Harriet’s apple juice before starting with a song I practiced in front of a mirror for five months. I rack my brain to remember the lyrics to Hopelessly Devoted To You and start, “Guess mine is not the first heart broken, my eyes are not the first to cry.” I sing Olivia Newton-John over Harriet’s cries, “I’m not the first to know there’s just no getting over you. I know I’m just a fool who’s willing to sit around and wait for you.” It’s starting to work because Harriet is calming down and looking at me transfixed like she did with DeLuca causing me to smile and pause, “Yeah you like that huh? Well, your gonna love the chorus.” I sing the rest of the song praying the walls and doors are thick enough so no one can hear me.

Later

Casey stands outside the room grinning as he hears a muffled Amber inside the room singing Greased Lightning from Grease. He was just walking down the hall to do scut when he heard a familiar voice through the door. He opened the door a creak and saw it was Amber sitting on the bed singing There are Worse Things I Could Do to Harriet in bed while holding and feeding her. He almost gave himself away because the sight was too shocking to take but he just closed the door before he could be caught. Now he’s been standing outside for 15 minutes listening to Amber singing like an angel in scrubs. Helm and Schmitt find him and look at him confused and approach him.

Helm starts, “What are you-”

“Shh! You’ll give me away.” Casey says in a hushed tone confusing them more.

“Why are we whispering?” Schmitt whispers as Dahlia comes up to them joining the crowd.

“Hey, what’s-”

“Shh!” Dahlia’s eyes widen at Casey trying to keep them quiet, “Listen.” They all press their ears against the door and listen to Amber singing the bridge. It takes them a minute until they recognize the voice.

“No!” Helm exclaims causing the others to shush her.

“Is it really her?” Dahlia asks in disbelief, “I mean it could be another intern Amber saddled the baby with.”

Schmitt shakes his head still in shock, “No I think it’s her it’s her voice she’s just not using it to threaten us.”

“I checked and it is her.” Casey confirms with a smile causing the others to chuckle lightly, “You should’ve heard her sing Summer Night it was like Olivia Newton-John transported in that room.”

“Oh my god this is the best thing ever.” Dahlia says with a squeak.

Casey chuckles, “I know right? I told her she was a softie on the inside and now it’s coming out inside that room.” Casey presses his ear against the door, “And now she’s singing Beauty School Dropout.” They all press their ears to the door pushing each other for a better audio.

Dahlia’s eyes shoot up as she hears Amber singing, “She’s actually pretty good.”

Schmitt agrees, “She’s not just good she sounds like an angel.”

“Even though she has a demon’s personality.” Helm groans, “She’s beautiful, she has a hot bod, she’s related to Karev, and she can sing. I would find her attractive if it wasn’t annoying.”

Casey nods, “Same.” They all stand there listening for a few moments until Andrew spots them by the door.

“What are you all doing?” They get startled and get away from the door trying to look normal.

Schmitt panics, “U-Um we were just um-”

“Heading to the pit to deal with the overflow?” Andrew asks sternly and they comply, running in the other direction to the ER.

Andrew walks down the hall and moves to open the door until he hears singing through the door freezing him in place. He puts his ear against the door and hears Amber singing to the baby. He grins at Amber taking his advice and opens the door finding Amber on the floor singing to the baby while she plays with a toy.

Amber stops and clears her throat as soon as she saw the door open, “Hey I finally got her to calm down. We argued a bit and there was some vomit, but we came to an understanding and now we’re girlfriends right Harriet?” Amber tries to act casual and DeLuca nods with a knowing grin causing Amber to close her eyes in despair, “How much did you hear?”

“Just ‘missed your midterms and flunked shampoo’ that was it.” Andrew chuckles and sits next to Amber on the floor, “I see my advice worked.”

Amber chuckles, “Yeah I had to sing Summer Night three times just to get her to hold still while I changed her.”

Andrew laughs, “Man I wish you paged me I could’ve been your Danny.”

“You do remind me a little of Danny.” Amber gives the teething ring to Harriet, “And if you ever tell anyone what you heard today I will never let you see me naked again.”

Andrew chuckles, “You know your better at this than you give yourself credit for. I mean I was afraid to leave you here alone but look at you Stacey.”

Amber groans at the state of her, “Yeah I’m sweaty, I’m covered in vomit, and I think I smell like feces.”

“You do I just didn’t want to bring it up.” Andrew grins and puts his arm around Amber’s shoulder drawing her towards him as they watch the baby.

"I should probably tell you she vomited on my back that you're putting your arm around." Amber informs him causing him to groan in disgust as he sees it rubbed off on his bare arm. She laughs at him while he rubs his arm with the baby wipes, "Harriet you just became my favorite person right now."

Andrew looks at her in amused offense, "Oh you think that's funny?"

"I think it's hilarious I'm not the only one covered in puke right now." Amber states with a chuckle causing Andrew to grin and dangle the used wipe in front of her face causing her to back away in fear, "No get that thing away from me or I will call the police." Andrew laughs at her reaction and throws the wipe away.

"It looks like you don't need me to babysit anymore. Are you good to watch her the rest of the day Stacey?"

Amber grins at him, "Yeah don't worry I got about four musicals to introduce Harriet to. I'll let you know if I'm doing a duet you can go now Danny." Andrew chuckles and leaves the room. Amber exhales exhausted and turned to Harriet who looks at her with a pleading face, "All right kid have you ever heard Cats?"

That Night

I enter the locker room carrying Harriet against my hip with the baby bag slung over my shoulder. I’m tired and my throat is a little sore from all the singing but as long as it got Harriet to keep quiet, I would sing Spice Girl’s if she wanted. I sit on the bench exhaling in exhaustion as I hold the baby. I notice something is wrong in the atmosphere and look to find Helm, Schmitt, Parker and Qadri stealing glances at me and grinning.

I furrow my eyebrows and ask, “What?”

Helm shakes her head as she opens her locker, “Nothing.”

“We’re just getting ready to leave She-Karev that’s all.” Parker nonchalantly chimes in and I look at him confused but I go back to the baby in my arms dangling the teething ring above her playing with her.

“Summer loving had me a blast.” I freeze as I hear Parker singing under him breathe and Dahlia follows.

“Summer loving happened so fast.” I look up to find them both smiling as they sing mocking me and I keep a blank face.

“I met a girl crazy for me.” Casey sings louder with Helm and Schmitt snickering.

“Met a boy cute as can be.” I put the teething ring away and am frustrated there’s a baby in my arms stopping me from hitting these guys. Casey and Dahlia laugh and perform a duet.

“Summer days drifting away, to-ah! Oh the summer nights.”

Schmitt and Helm join in, “Well-a, well-a, well-a huh.” I glare at all of them.

“You have no idea how lucky you all are that there’s a child in my arms because you wouldn’t make it past the second verse.” After the threat I reach for the diaper bag and wipe the drool off Harriet’s mouth while the others laugh.

“When I accused you of being soft I thought you read an EE Cummings poem at your graduation and cried I didn’t think you memorized the whole Grease soundtrack.” Casey says with a laugh and I throw the baby wipes at him that he protects himself from.

Dahlia grins at me, “How did you get so good? I heard you and you sound like a pop star. Were you in choir?”

“Did you audition for Broadway when you were in New York?” Schmitt asks seriously.

“No glee! you were a gleek weren’t you?” Helm asks with joy and I roll my eyes as I stand up when the baby gets fussy.

Casey calls out, “Oh come on Karev we’re just messing with you don’t storm out.”

“I’m not storming out.” I say as I pace back and forth, “Harriet likes it when I’m moving although I wish she would like it when I break your faces off.”

Casey chuckles, “Come on we already caught you singing Olivia Newton-John tell us the story of how you got into singing.”

Dahlia turns and gives me her full attention, “Oh yeah come on we want the story come on tell us please!”

“Please!” Helm begs from her spot and I see Schmitt listening too.

I groan as I pace the small room, “Fine but this is the only time you will ever hear about my past, got it?” They all nod eagerly and I continue, “My counselor recommended a creative after school program so I could better my chances of getting a scholarship. I looked and…I signed up for theater club.” The group widened their eyes and chuckled, “One year we did Grease and I was cast as Sandy. And I was good.”

“I knew it!” Casey smiles, “I knew you were a big softie.”

“As soon as this child is out of my arms and in the comfort of her home, I will make your lives hell.” I hiss with a glare.

Casey shrugs and still grins, “No you won’t your too sensitive.”

Jackson Avery comes in and is surprised to find me with Harriet, “Ah She-Karev when Kepner told me she handed Harriet off to Karev I assumed your brother but he wouldn’t be at her disposal.”

I exhale in relief, “Okay this Chestburster is all yours.” I gladly handed him the baby.

“Hey sweetheart.” Jackson coos at Harriet, “Did you give the new intern a hard time today?”

I shake my head, “No she was pretty easy.” I lie to cover my struggle, “I fed her an hour ago and we just hung out nothing much.”

Jackson chuckles, “She gave you hell didn’t she.”

“Big time.” I say bluntly and Jackson nods confirming his suspicions, “Dr. Avery I know your my boss and so is Dr. Kepner and your mother is the overlord and you could destroy my career and kill me and get away with it. But in the future I do not babysit I am not Stacey from The Babysitter’s Club.”

Jackson raises an eyebrow at me and the other’s look at me confused, “Duly noted She-Karev, good night.” Avery leaves us and I turn to the group who look at me with doe eyes. I know their gonna ask me something.

“Just ask.”

“Please beat Vik at karaoke tonight.” Helm begs with praying hands.

“No!”

Dahlia groans, “Come on you know you want to give that snooty douche a kick in the ass. You just can’t do it physically or you’d get arrested.”

Schmitt nods, “He did harass you this morning that didn’t piss you off?”

“Of course it does but I’ve gotten use to it as a woman who looks the way I do.” I head to my locker and take my stinky top off and gag and the stain, “Remind me to tell cleaning services to burn this shirt. And no I am not going to sing in front of everyone just to emasculate that guy. I have dignity and I have a reputation to uphold.”

“You had a reputation.” Casey clarifies, “And that tough reputation was replaced by a theater loving nerd who reads kids books in her free time.” I growl under my breath for mentioning The Babysitter’s Club.

“It’s out now She-Karev and we’re gonna tell people and it will spread around like an STD.” Helm says with pride.

I look at her in disgust, “Why did you use a sexually transmitted disease as an example? You could’ve used wildfire you freak.” I put my clothes on and try to ignore them as they beg, “You know I could get my brother to assign you guys B-Team for spreading an embarrassing secret about me.”

Schmitt’s eyes widen, “Uh maybe we should find somebody else to do this, nurse Taylor hums pretty good.”

“Shut up Glasses.” Helm snaps and turns to me, “A nurse or an orderly heard you these walls are too thin I think the remodeling forgot to soundproof. The point is we need a singer to crush Vik and your our best shot.”

“We would do it but we don’t have your voice and Roy is subpar at best so you can take him.” Dahlia makes a praying hands, “Please what will it take for you to say yes and do this big favor for us?”

I am buttoning my jeans when an idea pops into my head and I look at them mischievous, “You really want to know?”

Schmitt get’s scared, “I think we made a mistake here.”

“No.” Casey persists though, “Name your price so you can sing your beautiful voice tonight and we’ll do it.”

I slam my locker and stand face to face with the four of them who look scared but stand strong, “Fine if I do this for you guys and you four rotate on every rectal exam I’m assigned to for the next two months.”

“Done!” Helm is the first to agree and the others nod grinning to my shock.

“Wow you guys really want me to do this.” I say surprised, “Fine if it’ll get me to eat lunch during work I’ll do it.” They cheer at my compliance.

Casey quickly slams his locker, “Grab your purse and let’s go to karaoke night!” I groan and sling my purse as the others practically drag me to Joe’s.

Later

I’m sitting in a small table drinking beer and eating nuts as I watch Vik on the small stage singing Maniac by Michael Sembello. He’s barely holding the notes and he’s never heard of singing from your diaphragm but he acts like he’s Sinatra.

I roll my eyes at the display and see DeLuca from the bar giving me a wink. I keep my grin to myself and I discretely text him, ‘not in front of them. Later at your place.’ I send it to him and he reads it and raises an eyebrow at me before typing. I get a text that says, ‘is the tongue thing still on the table?’ I inhale before texting, ‘well talk when there aren’t people who can see us making sex eyes’ I add a side eye emoji and hit send. He reads it and licks his lips in anticipation before turning his back away from my direction. I put my phone down and look at Vik on stage making an ass of himself.

Helm obviously saw me and asks, “Who were you texting?”

“None of your business.” I snap and she retreats. Vik finally stops singing and the audience scatters applause, I clap and yell out, “Yeah we’re clapping because it’s over.” Helm laughs and Vik rolls his eyes as he takes his seat at our table and the bar owner takes the stage.

“All right next up on karaoke night is a last minute entry, lets give a warm welcome to Amber Karev!” The audience cheers and I stand up before Vik makes a snide comment.

“Don’t choke.”

“Choke on the nuts.” I step onto the stage and browse through the selection and choose a song I’ve sung in the shower multiple times. The song starts and I sing the first verse, “Now that she's back in the atmosphere with drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey.” As soon as I finish the verse the audience cheers and claps except for Vik who looks at me in shock at this surprise twist. I smile at owning that douche and continue the song, “She acts like summer and walks like rain reminds me that there's a-time to change, hey, hey Since the return of her stay on the moon she listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey, hey, hey.”

I see Vik shaking his head dissatisfied with me winning so far and he sips his beer. I look at Andrew gazing at me from the bar clearly enamored as well. I finish the rest of the song flawlessly and the audience cheer loudly and even bang the table. I chuckle, set the mic down and sit back at the table where Vik is still peeved.

“Happy now?” I ask them.

Parker laughs, “This was worth the rectals.”

Dahlia nods, “Same.”

Levi groans, “Can I back out of the deal please?”

“No were rotating and you’re taking the first.”

“Which is tomorrow I might tell you.” I chuckle and sip my beer.

“You all suck.” Roy says with a frown that makes me glad I agreed to do this. I sit around them for the first time feeling like their peers instead of acquaintances except for Roy he can go to hell. I feel someone touch my shoulder and I’m worried it’s DeLuca but it’s some frat guy in his looking at me like I’m a meal.

“Hey there what are you drinking?” I brush his hand off my leg and try to ignore him, “Maybe I can buy you another.”

“No thanks I’m gonna call it a night and go home.”

“Is that an invite?” The guy grins at me and I groan in disgust and Helm rolls her eyes annoyed as well, “I saw your little performance and I thought a night of relaxing would be good for that magic throat of yours. Is it magic in just singing or other things as well?”

The interns except Roy come to my aid, “Okay I think it’s time for you to leave buddy she doesn’t want to go with you so be a man and take the rejection.” I look at Casey in appreciation before speaking for myself.

“Yeah and I’m taken at the moment and he wouldn’t like you harassing me very much.” They look at me in shock over telling this guy I was seeing someone.

“Wait what is this? Who is the guy Karev?” Roy asks.

“Yeah who is the guy and where is he to defend your honor little lady?” The frat guy is persistent.

“Is there a problem here?” DeLuca overheard this and he’s come to protect me. I find it both barbaric and touching, “Karev?”

I clear my throat and speak casually, “No thank you Dr. DeLuca I am more than capable of taking care of myself and this asshole.”

The guy chuckles, “Oh come on baby I’m just having fun.” He puts his hand on my shoulder and I immediately react by grabbing his wrist and put him in an arm lock with his body against the table, “Ow, ow, ow!”

Casey looks on in shock and exclaims, "Damn!" The others look on in shock as I hold him down spraining his wrist.

“What the hell is your problem lady?!”

“You are!” I yell out and see Andrew looking at my self defense technique in quiet shock, “Now get out of my sight and keep your hands to yourself. The next woman you harass might have a gun.” I bring him back up and push him away roughly. He walks away and stand there looking at DeLuca who looks at me with an impressed grin.

“I guess you can take care of yourself. Have a good night, Dr. Karev.”

“Good night Dr. DeLuca.” I say with the same level of professionalism he used and he leaves us.

I sit back down sipping my beer as the others gape at me, “Oh yeah did I not mention that I traded theater for boxing?” I say with a grin at their horrified expressions as their renewed fear of me reignites my pleasure.

“…Yeah, I was wrong your just a terrifying force of nature with a good voice.” Casey admits in defeat. I clink my glass with his and sip my beer in satisfaction over how my hellish day ended.

[hannabanana-6]

It’s a date.

Casey gets ready for her first official date with Bryce. I decided to give a bit of background to Casey, and why she would be fine taking so long to make things official with Bryce, beyond just the fact that residency is temporary and they’re both workaholics.

Casey was fidgeting nervously, and she got up to check her reflection in the mirror again. She didn’t know why she was this anxious. She’d been on plenty of dates before, and to be honest, she knew she was a great date. She was never normally nervous about a simple date, and really Bryce and Casey had been on a few almost-dates. They were just always spontaneous and they had never defined them, simply telling their friends they were just hanging out when they were pestered with questions. This was an official date-date.

Admittedly, she never usually had feelings for the guys she went on dates with, and she usually let things fizzle out after the initial excitement of the first few dates died down. She had always been this way, knowing that if feelings weren’t really involved then you couldn’t really get hurt. Casey had seen how her mum was when her dad left them, and she never wanted to feel like that, ever. This view was only reinforced when her first (and only) serious boyfriend - who she’d broken her no-commitment rule for - cheated on her during her first year of med school. At first, Casey had believed him and felt guilty when he blamed her, saying she was always busy and never had time for him anymore. Casey knew she’d been wrapped up in the pressures of med school, unlike at undergrad when she had been pretty wild and always been ready to drop her studies in favour of a fun time. Med school was different though, and for the first time ever she couldn’t just coast by with minimal effort. She wanted to be top of her class, she wanted to be the best doctor she could possibly be. Maybe she did put that above her relationship, but her boyfriend had never once brought that up or tried to talk to her about it. Instead, he started replying to her messages less and less, and sleeping with one of their mutual friends. When Casey found out, she ended things instantly, ignoring his pleas for another chance, despite her initial guilt at the situation. She blocked him, and decided to concentrate on her studies, keeping things as casual as possible with any guy that asked her out since. This was what Bryce and Casey were meant to be doing, but Casey knew this was different. She didn’t think she could stop feelings getting involved, and she didn’t even think that’s what she wanted anymore. Not with Bryce. Still, even if it didn’t feel casual, she liked that he was in no hurry to define things. She knew he had his own family reasons, and she didn’t push him about this just like he didn’t push her for her reasons. It worked for them both, especially considering how career-driven they both were; first year of residency barely left time for a relationship.

Shaking off the memories, she gave herself a once over in the mirror. Her emerald dress matched her eyes, and was just tight enough, with the neckline just low enough that she still felt classy, but knew that Bryce wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off of her. Casey went and knocked on Sienna’s door, doing a double take when it swung open and Sienna and Danny were sat on top of her bed, with a pile of snacks between them, watching The Secret of Nindarell.

“Oops, sorry guys!” She grinned, not seeming sorry at all.

She knew Sienna said her and Danny were just friends, and she wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with Sienna and Wayne - she’d stopped asking since it always seemed to make Sienna upset and uncomfortable, and she shut down her housemates concerns - but she really liked Danny. Sienna deserved someone who appreciated her, saw what a talented doctor she was, but above all saw how kind and caring she was towards everyone - not just her friends, but anyone in need of some help or friendly advice.

“That’s okay, we’re just having a movie marathon, but I should probably head out soon anyway.” Danny smiled at her.

“You look nice! Are you seeing Bryce?” Sienna practically squealed.

“Thanks, Si. Maybe.” Casey said, a smile tugging at her lips. “Would you mind helping me put my necklace on?” She asked.

Sienna practically leapt out of bed, bounding over to fasten Casey’s necklace.

“Thank you.” Casey smiled.

“You’re welcome. Have fun! You guys are really cute, Case. I’m really happy for you about this.” Sienna smiled warmly at her friend.

Casey was touched. Sienna cared so much about her, and all of her housemates.

“I’m looking forward to it.” Casey admitted, “But really, we’re just-”

“Yeah, I know. You’re just ‘friends’.” Sienna rolled her eyes, her voice teasing, doing dramatic air quotes around the word friends.

Casey smirked and closed the door gently as she headed out of Siennas room. Sienna was one to talk.

Before Casey could sit and overthink any more, she heard a faint knock at the door. When she opened it, Bryce was on the other side, grinning widely with a bouquet of peonies, her favourite flower.

“Wow.” Was all he said at first, his eyes trailing up and down her body before landing on her face, looking at her in awe. “You are gorgeous. You know what, I’m having second thoughts. Let’s just stay here tonight, so I can show you how much I love that dress.”

“Easy, Lahela. I want to be wined and dined first. You promised me classy.” Casey smirked.

“Hey! Where was my compliment?” Bryce pouted.

“Needy much?” Casey rolled her eyes, before adding “You look very handsome.”

It was true, Bryce looked amazing, as always. Casey didn’t think she had ever been so attracted to someone. She couldn’t look at Bryce and not want him. Bryce pulled Casey in for a soft kiss, which he then deepened, leaving her dizzy when he finally pulled away.

“Thanks for letting me take you on a date, Case.”

“Thanks for asking.” She smiled.

“I’ve been really looking forward to this.” Bryce admitted, taking Casey’s hand.

“Me too.” Casey replied sincerely.

Casey looked up at Bryce, and he leaned down and planted a kiss on her temple. She knew she didn’t have to be nervous anymore. It was Bryce, after all.

[liminalsp4ce]

« several  sightings  have  recently  been  reported  of  a  suspicious  individual  seen  around  greylock,  ma.  their  exact  whereabouts  are  yet  to  be  disclosed.  however,  after  conducting  thourough  analysis  of  local  records,  the  person  was  identified  as  casey  grendel  ―  a  twenty  -  nine  year  old  counselor  currently  working  at  greylock's  high  school.  grendel  has  no  history  of  prior  criminal  activity,  but  in  case  of  an  incident,  do  not  hesitate  to  refer  to  the  details  provided  below. »

I. BASICS

FULL NAME. casey grendel NICKNAMES. case AGE & DATE OF BIRTH. twenty - nine / january 10th, 1995 PLACE OF BIRTH. greylock, ma CURRENT RESIDENCE. greylock, ma OCCUPATION/TITLE. counselor @ greylock high school THE BIG THREE. capricorn ☼ pisces ☾ virgo ↑ GENDER. nonbinary PRONOUNS. they/them SEXUALITY. queer

II. APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM. jodie comer EYE COLOR. hazel HAIR COLOR. blonde (dyed) HEIGHT. 5′ 8″ (1.73 m) DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC(S). intense gaze radiating alertness, casual yet fasionable outfits, a compass tattoo on the right sleeve, absence of facial expressions at times due to repressed nature.

III. RELATIONSHIPS

PARENTS. thomas grendel, lillian grendel SIBLINGS. elora grendel (younger sister) CURRENT PARTNER(S). tba. PAST PARTNER(S). tba. ENTANGLEMENTS. tba.

IV. PERSONALITY

POSITIVE TRAITS. considerate, playful, disciplined, allocentric, generous NEGATIVE TRAITS. repressed, escapist, impatient, perfectionist, grim LOVE LANGUAGE. acts of service & words of affirmation ALIGNMENT. neutral good MBTI. INFJ

V. HISTORY

everything has a beginning and an end. your story began with a set of restrictions. rules & expectations high enough to overwhelm anyone let alone a young child. but you persevered. so much so, that no class was left unattended and no assignment was left ungraded. a perfect a-student. polished mannequin to be paraded inside the school grounds and around the entire town for all the nosy nancies to see. a 'future savior' your mother used to describe you to everybody else.      ʺ  casey  will  be  saving  lives.  just  wait  and  see.  ʺ they already had planned everything out for you even before you were born. your mother wanted you to become a doctor, you see. yet another title she would add to already full basket of responsibilities. what did it matter which career path you'd feel like choosing anyways, right? mothers do know what's best for their children, after all. but did she know? did your father? based on how scarce the memories you two share are, that seems unlikely, either. the two of them were a lost cause as parents from the very beginning. as for you ― you carried on with your 'duties' as long as you could. you allowed them to dictate your life: restrict the time outside with your friends, add more house chores on the list to 'be taken care of' while having to behave like a perfect child with no defects. along the way you learned to hide those 'defects', as your family liked to call them, as there was no use in bringing up any of your emotional turmoil to any of them. not only because they wouldn't care to hear of them, but because you weren't sure where to even start. so you didn't let any of it show.

all of the more severe negative emotions shoved far away into the dark depths of your mind, where all the exit signs seem to be intentionally removed. perhaps that's where your inner fear of emotional intimacy also lies. it's... quite difficult to say, actually. it's not like you yourself have reached this level of awareness of just how deep it all goes. meanwhile all of those inner emotions are abandoned to simply rot & build up in a wild storm, quietly threatening to burst at any correct push of the buttons.

during your senior year at greylock high school, it became apparent that your parents were planning to move out into the city as soon as you graduated, adamant to have you start med school once the family got a new place. you weren't aware of their need of a 'better life' elsewhere, but ultimately, knowing their constant discontent with everything around them, it did not surprise you one bit.

you did move to the city soon after your graduation, however things did not exactly go according to the plans of your parents. instead of going to med school, you chose a different university as you decided to pursue career in education & social work. it was the first time you went against your family's wishes since now you were an adult and felt the need to follow your own heart. and that you did. picking up a part-time job while you were at it and gradually distancing yourself from your parents who had no qualms about suddenly shifting their focus on your younger sister, probably seeing you as a failed project.

only when you had a masters degree in your hands did you return to greylock ― a town some made the effort to leave behind in search of bigger & better opportunities, one that others were hesitant to settle in. yet you did the opposite. there was always this looming sense of knowing that you'll be back someday. it was your home, after all. and despite having an outstanding reputation as a town on paper, there were plenty other teens in need of guidance, that you knew through other families in town & from rumors about underlying difficulties in some teenagers lives that unfortunately, spread like wildfire in a place like this. you were even more sure of staying after hearing about emily palmer's sudden disappearance. some unknown forces of humankind or otherwise were at play & you won't just sit there and ignore the signs of another upcoming tragedy if only you can help it.

VI. WANTED CONNECTIONS

CONFIDANT [0/1] ― a close friend of a family or from school back in the day. someone who knew things about casey no one else did. one that casey ended up opening up to and would keep firm ties to right until casey's graduation, after which they moved with their family to the city, thus straining their connection. there was less and less communication as time went by and neither had heard about the other for quite some time. now that casey's back in town, there is a possibility to rekindle their connection with some potential angst mixed in! (all details can be plotted!)

"THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY" / POTENTIAL SLOW BURN [0/1] ― a situationship which, unfortunately, did not work out at first. the two of them met at high school, one attracted the other like a magnet and thus, the pair seemed inseparable during the last couple of years in high school. similarly to the connection above, this dynamic came to a close when casey's love interest decided to be the first one to move away before the two of them properly established their connection (details & reasons can be discussed/utp!) thus leaving casey behind. six years later (current time) casey returned to greyloack and few months later, to their surprise, their past love also came back to the town. (again reasons behind this can be utp!). i imagine their reunion to be packed with tension and even angst to add some spice! the future of this connection can be discussed/plotted!

CLOSE FRIENDS [0/2] ― a couple of buddies casey would spend most of their free time with outside of their job. possibly met through common interests/hobbies during school times or after returning to greylock & ended up sticking around ever since! casey would be the one to often help them out & be there in times of need even if they hasn't opened up to them about their life/past troubles with family. these two would be the type to bring casey out of their shell & their house to hang out, have a drink & basically have a good time!

BAD INFLUENCE [0/1] ― someone who cannot help themselves & stay away from trouble. what's worse, they are in dire need of someone to mess with... and casey happens to be around in the worst of times. would love for this muse to remind casey of the freedom they used to have before leaving greylock & be able to do whatever the fuck they want.

HOOK-UPS [0/2] ― although casey isn't in the state of mind to be emotionally available, there were a couple of 'slip-up's' which manifested in the form of either one night stands or short-term friends with benefits! (details can be discussed!)

COLLEAGUES @ GREYLOCK HIGH SCHOOL [0/∞] ― teachers or other staff working at greylock high school! the nature of dynamics can be plotted!

PARENTS OF STUDENTS CASEY WORKS WITH [0/∞] ― if any of your muses happen to have children who are currently in high school & could use a counselor for whatever reason, that's where casey comes in! there is high potential to have some very spicey interactions, especially if dynamics within families aren't the best!

ACQUAINTANCES [0/∞] ― people casey met around the town or outside of it and those that now are staying in greylock! the circumstances behind their first meeting & history plus potential dynamics can all be discovered either through plotting or by throwing our muses straight into interactions!

MISC / UTP! ― space for any other platonic, neutral, romantic or antagonistic dynamics! let's brainstorm & come up with the storylines we always wished to explore but never had the chance to!